SOUTH AFRICA: FEATURE: ZULU WOMEN TAKE PART IN TRADITIONAL RITE-OF PASSAGE 'REED DANCE' IN KWAZULU NATAL

Record ID: 472489

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FEATURE: ZULU WOMEN TAKE PART IN TRADITIONAL RITE-OF PASSAGE 'REED DANCE' IN KWAZULU NATAL
  • Date: 1st October 1999
  • Summary: KWAZULU NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA (RECENT) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. MV GROUP OF WOMEN DRESSED IN TRADITIONAL DRESS WALKING IN STREET 0.06 2. CLOSE UP OF WALKING FEET 0.12 3. VARIOUS OF WOMEN WALKING (2 SHOTS) 0.24 4. VARIOUS WOMEN WALKING WITH REEDS (4 SHOTS) 0.37 5. SV TWO WOMEN DANCING WHILE OTHERS WATCH 0.46 6. CLOSE UP OF OL
  • Embargoed: 16th October 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: KWAZULU NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA
  • City:
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics:
  • Reuters ID: LVA1RF8P7Q7K0FS6HH2UDK04XV8S
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: It's a ritual that dates back hundreds of years - a
    ceremonial rite-of-passage that has withstood the test of
    time.

    Every September in the South African province of
    Kwazulu Natal, thousands of young girls- dressed in their
    revealing traditional costumes and bearing long reeds, take
    to the streets.

    Their mission - to take the reeds to the residence of
    the Queen Mother and - according to custom - shield her from
    cold winter winds.

    Thereafter, the girls break out in a ritual of song and
    dance known as the reed dance- or Umhlanga- in the local
    Zulu language.

    King Zwelithni of the Zulus says the reed dance ceremony
    was important when it was practiced during the reign of his
    forebearers after the formation of the Zulu nation.

    The King regards this function even more relevant today.

    It's a tradition that had been discontinued for a while
    in the 1970s but was revived in the mid-eighties after King
    Zwelithini returned from an AIDS conference in the United
    States.

    He saw in the reed dance a chance to stem the scourge of
    AIDS among his people by promoting chastity and abstinence
    from premarital sex.

    In a country where up to one in four people are said to
    be afflicted with the deadly AIDS virus, the king realised
    the role traditional ceremonies could play in combating this
    modern plague.

    He says "Our forebearers taught us what it meant to be
    human and that the important attributes of humanness were
    respect, responsibility, chastity, honesty, accountability,
    empathy, love, forgiveness, caring for others."
    The idea of discussing sexuality within the family was
    initially frowned upon in this close-knit society but that's
    no longer the case, thanks in part to this spring festival.

    Fikile Mhlongo, custodian of maidens, says the event has
    always been a part of Zulu history and culture to teach
    young girls about right-of-passage, responsibility, pride
    and how they should protect their virginity as they become
    young women.

    Since participation in the reed dance is restricted to
    virgins, virginity tests are conducted by community elders,
    both in rural and urban areas thrughout the province.

    Testing is done on girls as young as four.

    Those who pass these monthly tests are issued with
    certificates.

    Testing is strictly on a voluntary basis especially for
    those over the age of 15.

    Critics argue this method of testing violates the rights
    of children saying even if voluntary, the child is under
    pressure to undergo the test for fear of being branded a
    non-virgin.

    Others disagree arguing traditional rituals such as
    virginity tests allow for the early detection of sexual
    abuse and teenage pregnancies and that emphasis on
    abstinence could alleviate other socio-economic problems
    like the escalating number of street children.

    Whatever the case, the potential of the reed dance, both
    for its cultural promise as well as a bulwark against AIDS,
    has not gone unnoticed by other communities.

    Some are actually in the process of assimilating the
    event into their cultural heritage as well.

    In the meantime, the virgins of Zululand continue an
    annual festival borne out of tradition but modified to fit
    the complexities of an ever-changing world.


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