Braincase
09-08-2004, 11:49 AM
Oh, hell, yes! Where do I signup? (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=6168759&src=rss/oddlyEnoughNews§ion=news)
Swazi King Wants Teen Beauty Queen for Bride?
Tue Sep 7, 2004 09:37 AM ET
MBABANE (Reuters) - Swaziland's King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, has chosen a 16-year-old beauty queen as his 13th wife following a ceremony at which 20,000 bare-breasted maidens danced in his honor.
The Times of Swaziland reported on Sunday that Mswati had chosen the girl -- a Miss Teenage Swaziland finalist -- and that she was now in seclusion.
"The girl was among those who took part in the Reed Dance, and royal sources confirmed that the girl is being kept under the watchful eye of royal guards," the newspaper said.
The palace does not comment on the 36-year-old king's engagements or marriages, which have drawn increasing scrutiny in a country with one of the highest AIDS prevalence rates in the world -- close to 40 percent of its adults are infected.
Swaziland's expanding royal family has also proven a drain on government resources as Mswati has pushed through with plans to build new palaces for each of his current wives.
The International Monetary Fund has advised the government against luxury expenditures in the face of a declining economy, a record high budget deficit, rising poverty and food shortages among ordinary Swazis.
But in an interview with the Times this week, Mswati said government would continue to spend as it sees fit.
The Reed Dance, held this year on Aug. 30, gathered some 20,000 young women for a traditional dance that was videotaped by courtiers so the king could review the participants later.
The ceremony has developed a reputation as an audition to join Mswati's household, with a number of previous dancers having been selected as royal brides -- including two who were abducted from their schoolyards without their parents' permission.
Mswati, who already has 11 official wives, has another fiancee chosen in 2002 who is awaiting a traditional marriage ceremony.
Women's rights groups had expressed hopes that Mswati would be satisfied with 12 wives, although Swazi tradition puts no limit on the number a king may select. Mswati's father, King Sobhuza, had more than 40.
Mswati, who has been accused by democratic activists of seeking to entrench royal rule through a new Constitution that will maintain a ban on political parties, also told the Times Swaziland would not abide by international accords it has signed committing the country to democracy.
Swazi King Wants Teen Beauty Queen for Bride?
Tue Sep 7, 2004 09:37 AM ET
MBABANE (Reuters) - Swaziland's King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, has chosen a 16-year-old beauty queen as his 13th wife following a ceremony at which 20,000 bare-breasted maidens danced in his honor.
The Times of Swaziland reported on Sunday that Mswati had chosen the girl -- a Miss Teenage Swaziland finalist -- and that she was now in seclusion.
"The girl was among those who took part in the Reed Dance, and royal sources confirmed that the girl is being kept under the watchful eye of royal guards," the newspaper said.
The palace does not comment on the 36-year-old king's engagements or marriages, which have drawn increasing scrutiny in a country with one of the highest AIDS prevalence rates in the world -- close to 40 percent of its adults are infected.
Swaziland's expanding royal family has also proven a drain on government resources as Mswati has pushed through with plans to build new palaces for each of his current wives.
The International Monetary Fund has advised the government against luxury expenditures in the face of a declining economy, a record high budget deficit, rising poverty and food shortages among ordinary Swazis.
But in an interview with the Times this week, Mswati said government would continue to spend as it sees fit.
The Reed Dance, held this year on Aug. 30, gathered some 20,000 young women for a traditional dance that was videotaped by courtiers so the king could review the participants later.
The ceremony has developed a reputation as an audition to join Mswati's household, with a number of previous dancers having been selected as royal brides -- including two who were abducted from their schoolyards without their parents' permission.
Mswati, who already has 11 official wives, has another fiancee chosen in 2002 who is awaiting a traditional marriage ceremony.
Women's rights groups had expressed hopes that Mswati would be satisfied with 12 wives, although Swazi tradition puts no limit on the number a king may select. Mswati's father, King Sobhuza, had more than 40.
Mswati, who has been accused by democratic activists of seeking to entrench royal rule through a new Constitution that will maintain a ban on political parties, also told the Times Swaziland would not abide by international accords it has signed committing the country to democracy.