Reed Dance

This weekend was the climax of Zulu cultural life in the 21st century with the Zulu King Goodwill holding the annual Reed Dance for Zulu Maidens in Southern Africa. This event has been going on for 23 years at his Kraal (ranch) close to Mountain High Hospital. Originally only 25-30 young girls danced with a bamboo pole in front of the king, showing their grace and beauty. He could select any of the maidens to be queens and they were locked into royalty for life. The King currently has 5 or 6 wives and does not seem to be actively interested in acquiring more, but one never knows. On Friday at work I teased my colleagues that if I did not show up on Monday, look for me at the Palace; maybe I got lucky!
What a surprise when we arrived at the Palace grounds and saw thousands of beautiful young girls milling around waiting for the events to begin. (Don’t worry Mountain High, I will be back at work on Monday morning-too much gorgeous competition from the young). They arrived by bus, taxi, private car and on foot from all over Southern Africa. (The King of Swaziland holds a similar event and now has 200 wives). Each girl makes her own costume out of beads, feathers, skins, Zulu fabric with the King’s face or whatever she and her friends cook up. Of course the costume does not require much material as it is bottoms only with a few beaded ornaments for the upper half. The girls are housed in huge tents for the two day event which had the atmosphere of the Rose Parade, beauty pageant, and revival meeting combined.
To see 5000 young girls begin marching in unison with their reeds held high singing a song of affirmation was truly a lifetime event. They danced in rows of 20 across waving their reeds as they became one entity that announced “We are Zulus and we are proud of our beautiful culture.” The parade continued for 2 hours as they swayed up the road to the palace and laid their reed at the king’s feet. They then danced down to the stadium where they danced again for the waiting crowd. Besides their bare chests they wore no shoes- the day was warm but their singing and swaying did not hesitate. At last all of the girls had finished their moment with the King and the program started.
The minister preached, the politicians spoke; the educators ranted and then King Goodwill took the podium. The speeches were empowerment messages for the girls. Stay AIDS FREE for life! Abstinence is Cool-Its Ok to Wait! So instead of this amazing gathering being a bacchanalian tribute to polygamy and the King’s powers, it has become a means of asserting and affirming the young girls. Every girl was viewed as a Zulu princess, possessing the intellect and self-esteem to become a respected member of the Zulu society. The speeches probably grew long for the girls and many were there for the fun of the day and the traditional dressing, but the collective power of so many sisters making a stand to develop their potential and stay AIDS free must make a big impact.
The logistics for the event were remarkable. The Kings Kraal is 20 miles from any town so transport had to be arranged for the girls, the families of the girls, the matrons that looked after and coached the girls on the dance and behavior required. As we sat waiting for the program to start, trucks arrived with 7 brown velvet wing chairs and 10 carved seats for the royal family. King Goodwill arrived attired in leopard skin and feathers as were the males in his entourage. He was educated at Oxford but speaks in simple Zulu with the message that the Zulu nation should be celebrated and that AIDS must be eliminated. After the speeches the girls danced again. A poignant moment was the dance by three of the King’s current wives in their elegant white brocade attire.
I was thrilled to be a witness to such an exciting, beautiful day. I was also encouraged as an individual actively involved in dealing with AIDS patients that the Zulu King has seized a cultural event to get the AIDS message out and put it into the hearts of these very young girls. His message was that each young girl should have a plan to stay AIDS FREE for life. The South African government provides financial support for the Zulu King but they are getting a great spokesman for the AIDS health messages as well as a classy statesman who sure knows how to put on a party! Sad that there were so few tourists in attendance as it was a unique view into this special place and the commitment that community leaders are making to combat AIDS in South Africa.