Virgo for the King

Why in the African monarchy, naked girls walk the ranks

Swaziland is an African state where the current monarch Msvati III changes his wife every year, a quarter of the population is infected with HIV, and naked virgins march through the city of Lobamba - also for the sake of the king. The correspondent of "Lentee.ru" Olga Rastegaeva went on a visa-free basis for Russians in Swaziland to see everything with her own eyes.

Swaziland is a museum of ethnography in the open air. Civilization makes its way through the bush of the Swazi land slowly, scratching on unshakeable traditions, conventional foundations and poverty. In the villages, many still live in subsistence farming, wear traditional clothes and sleep in homemade huts.

Swaziland is the only state in Africa with an absolute monarchy, where, despite the absence of political parties, the parliament is going to. The country, in principle, is Christian, on Sundays everyone goes to church, but they believe in the spirits of ancestors and practice polygamy.

This is where in general?

Cartography knows a lot of precedents when dwarf states on maps were caught between giants. Land swazi - just such an event. She squeezed into the plateau of Veld between South Africa and Mozambique. From Johannesburg to the capital of Swaziland, Mbabane is only four hours by car, from Maputo - two. There is no outlet to the ocean, but there is a ridge of the Dragon Mountains and picturesque valleys, where pineapples ripen all year round. In size, Swaziland is the smallest state in the Southern Hemisphere, with a population of just over a million.

How do they live there?

They do not live very well. Swaziland is considered one of the poorest countries in the world: more than half of citizens live on less than two dollars a day. In addition, Swaziland is known for the fact that a quarter of the population is infected with the immunodeficiency virus. It is almost impossible to find a job, the level of education is not high. Only seven classes are free, you have to pay for further studies. Most money for this, of course, no.

Society is very traditional. So, during the marriage, the groom is supposed to give the bride's parents 17 cows. At the current rate of cows to Lilangeni (local currency, for the dollar give about 13 Lilangeni) is expensive. I have to save for years. Poor families do not agree to give daughters to marry without ransom, cows are still the main commodity in the country. In villages, they still live separately - women on their territory, men on their own. Women are categorically forbidden to appear behind a man's hedge. Also, wives traditionally yield better food to their spouses. And husbands give way to work - all cares around the house lie on women's shoulders.

Are there evil crocodiles and other animals in Swaziland?

Like all countries in South Africa, Swaziland can offer an excellent safari, although all representatives of the Big Five - leopard, buffalo, lion, elephant and rhinoceros are not found in the same park. Herds of giraffes, zebras and other ungulates roam just an hour's drive from Manzini (the country's largest city) in Mbuluzi's private natural landscapes (Mbuluzi Game Reserve). Observe the unhurried life of white and black rhinos in the Mkhaya Game Reserve, which was founded by a nature lover, the Irish expat Ted Reilly, who alone saved rhinoceroses for many decades.

A luxurious day safari with crocodiles, hippos, nyalas, kudu and zebras offers the private park Mlilwane in the valley of Ezulwini (Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary), which also belongs to Raleigh. In the park you can go on foot or horse safaris.

The largest national park in Swaziland is Hlána, before this territory was closed and was intended for royal hunting. (Hlane Royal National Park Swaziland). In Hlán, a hunt for elephants, lions and, if lucky, leopards, will be a great success. To fans of ornithology will appear on identification more than 300 kinds of birds. In Khlane, there is also a large population of hippos and crocodiles.

In Swaziland, every year the king chooses his new wife, right?

Yes, the main celebration of the country takes place at the very end of August - early September. In Lobambu, the city where the residence of the Queen Mother is located, which bears the title of "big elephant", young girls from all over the country come to participate in the mass festival of Umhlanga.

This is such May Day in Swaziland, during which 80 thousand naked participants in columns to the rhythms of the drums dance pay tribute to the monarchs of the country. For several days they are preparing for the "dance of reeds" - they wash themselves, dress up and cut their own cane, from which they then make a new fence for the royal palace.

Tens of thousands of naked virgins, clothed only in a cloak of light fabric with the image of the king, holding the stalks of reeds in their hands, dance and sing before the monarch Msvati III. The repertoire is about twenty songs. It is believed that during Umhlangi, the king chooses his new wife.

In fact, this is not so. During the entire period of reed dances, the present king saw only two future wives in the crowd. Whether the monarch chose a new wife for himself at the next holiday, the public is informed only three weeks after the celebrations are over.

Who takes part in the "dance of reeds"?

On the main dance of the country everyone comes. Before embarking on a long journey across the country to Lobambu, the girls must register with the leader of their village. According to the rules, all participants must be virgins. In practice, this is not checked. In Swaziland, it is considered that if a young woman does not have children, then she is innocent. Dancing in front of the king is allowed to girls of any age: in bright rows the ranks are both teenagers and adults. In Swaziland, every woman at least once, but danced before the king. His Majesty in honor of the holiday is surely dressed in the skin of a leopard.

At the ceremony, the girls are delivered by special buses, but to the point of collection, many people have to walk half a day. The virgins live in large barracks, not far from the stadium where the event is held. All eighty thousand beauties during the holiday are in the care of the king, they are fed and given food at the expense of the state treasury.

Do all the girls in Swaziland dream of becoming the king's wife?

King Mswati III is young and rich. His condition is estimated at more than $ 100 million. He is handsome and educated. But the chances of becoming a regular wife, even if not the only one, are negligible. Msvati III now has sixteen wives and more than twenty children. His father Sobhuz II was married 90 times, he has 260 children and more than a thousand grandchildren.

Seven classes of education are enough to understand: to become a happy and beloved wife is not so simple, and the chances of giving birth to an heir's crown are completely insignificant. The only son of one of the wives can claim the royal throne. The king's wife should not have more children. But, as practice shows, as a result of intrigues and palace coups, several brothers-challengers are always fighting for power. All wives receive a palace as a gift - a big house or a villa with a staff of servants, as well as a car. Everything is paid from the treasury of the kingdom. The house of the king's wife is guarded, and she can only sit by the window and wait for the monarch to make her a happy visit. Especially favorite wives can sometimes fly to shopping in London.

In addition, the king's wife under no circumstances has the right to remarry, even if the ruler went to the forefathers. Life in a golden cage is not all to the liking. The present monarch has been instructed by the horns of three wives. All of them are sent for life to the Queen Mother in the palace, and their lovers languish in prisons. One of the brides is still hiding in London, not wanting to marry by calculation, even for the king.

What else to do in Swaziland?

Climb to the second highest mountain in the world, the granite mountain Sibebe. Above - only in Australia. This monolith is very ancient, it is about three billion years old. There is a mountain just 10 kilometers from the capital Mbabane, and unlike the top on another continent, does not suffer from the invasion of tourists. The peak of Sibebe is easily conquered by even unprepared tourists, the trekking will take about 4 hours.

Plunge into folklore. To admire the traditional Swazi dances, with songs, whistles, drums is better from the first rows. To do this, just visit the village of Mantenga Cultural Village in the Mantenga Falls reserve. Even if you do not understand the African choreography, you will still notice the main difference between the Swazi dances from other tribes - sharp legs with legs. So both men and women dance. After the show, guests are taken to the reconstructed village.

Look in the main royal museum. A memorial park, a mausoleum and a small museum with a collection of private cars are dedicated to Sobhuse II. The exposition tells about the monarch who ruled the country for 82 years and led Swaziland to independence.

What to bring from Swaziland?

Artisans of the land of Swazi are famous for the art of weaving from the grass (Gone Rural), the production of bright paraffin candles (Swazi Candle) and wood carvings. All these products are abundantly represented in the Swazi Candles Craft Market, a place where the best craftsmen work and sell their crafts. Absolutely everything is done by hand, craftsmen work directly behind the counters: sculpt, embroider, cut out. Another important place for lovers of authentic souvenirs is the glass factory Ngwenya Glass Swaziland. Although the manufactory was opened only in 1987, the glass-blowers perfectly master the centuries-old traditions of their craft.

Where to stay during your trip to Swaziland?

In a few days, the whole of Swaziland can be traveled far and wide. Stay better in private lodges. They are available all over the country and offer a wide variety of accommodation options. Reilly's Rock is a cozy, authentic lodge in the Mlilwane National Park. The rooms and villa in the colonial style look very romantic, the dinners are organized right outside in the fire.

The real adventure is overnight in the ecocamp Mkhaya Game Reserve. To get here it is necessary on off-road cars, taking with itself only the most necessary. In the lodge there is no electricity, and in the houses under the wicker roofs there are walls. But here is an excellent safari with rhinoceroses, a delicious dinner with traditional songs and dances and unusual sensations of the night in the bosom of wildlife.

Staying in Shewula Mountain Camp, you can not only admire the wonderful mountain views, but also visit the village or go to visit the local sangome - the folk healer.

The best that is in the country today is the Foresters Arms Hotel in the highlands and the Summerfield Botanical Garden, a complex of villas with one of the coolest restaurants in Swaziland. By the way, the complex is also the official residence of the Russian Federation in Swaziland.