Sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, King Mswati III of Swaziland, presided over ceremonies this week where more than 50,000 bare-breasted virgins vied to become his 13th wife.
Wielding machetes and singing tributes to the king and queen mother, also known as the Great She-Elephant, the girls danced around the royal stadium in the hope of catching the eye of the 37-year-old monarch, Reuters reports.
I want to live a nice life, have money, be rich, have a BMW and cellphone," says one dancer, 16-year-old Zodwa Mamba, who wore a traditional brightly colored tasseled scarf.
Critics say Mswati, who has courted controversy for his lavish lifestyle while two thirds of his subjects live in abject poverty, sets a bad example by encouraging polygamy and teenage sex in a country where 40 percent of adults live with HIV.
Some say the Reed Dance, traditionally meant to celebrate womanhood and virginity, has become little more than a showcase for the king's young would-be brides.
"The Reed Dance has been abused for one man's personal satisfaction," Mario Masuku, leader of the banned opposition party, tells Reuters. "The king has a passion for young women and opulence."
But many Swazis say the young monarch has a right to do as he pleases, defending his penchant for young brides as Swazi tradition and arguing that ceremonies like the Reed Dance, which this year drew a record 50,000 maidens, cement national identity.
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