Umhlanga (ceremony)

Umhlanga was created in Eswatini in the 1940s under the rule of Sobhuza II, and is an adaptation of the much older Umchwasho ceremony.^[1] The reed dance continues to be practised today in Eswatini. In South Africa, the reed dance was introduced in 1991 by Goodwill Zwelithini, the former King of the Zulus. The dance in South Africa takes place in Nongoma, a royal kraal of the Zulu king.^[3][4]

In South Africa, the ceremony is known as Umkhosi woMhlanga,^{[clarification needed]} and takes place every September at the Enyokeni Royal Palace in Nongoma.^[4] The girls come from all parts of Zululand, though in recent years, there have been smaller groups appearing from Eswatini, Botswana and Pondoland.^[5]

All girls must undergo a virginity test, which in recent years has been met with strong opposition, before they can participate.^[4][6] Those who pass are made to go bare-breasted and wear traditional skirts that show their bottoms,^[7] accompanied by beadwork accessories and colourful sashes, as a show of pride in their bodily autonomy. Each sash has appendages of different colours, denoting whether or not the girl is betrothed.^[8]

The ceremony proper sees the girls carry a long reed, which would then be deposited as they dance before the king.^[9] They take care to choose only the longest and strongest reeds, carrying them above their heads in a slow procession up the hill to Enyokeni Palace.^[5] The procession is led by the chief Zulu princess, who takes a prominent role throughout the festival.^[5] A broken reed along the way indicates that the girl has already been sexually active.^[9]

The ceremony was reintroduced by King Goodwill Zwelithini in 1991 as a means to encourage young Zulu girls to delay sexual activity until marriage, and thus limit the possibility of HIV transmission.^[3] In 2007, about 30,000 girls took part in the event.^[9] Ceremony organisers have occasionally enforced strict rules on photographers, as some of them have been accused of publishing pictures of the rites on pornographic websites.^[10]

In past years, the event was attended by former President of South Africa Jacob Zuma, himself a Zulu, and former Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Zweli Mkhize.^[11]

In Eswatini, girls begin the rite by gathering at the Queen Mother's royal village, which currently is Ludzidzini Royal Village.^[1] After arriving at the Queen Mother's residence, the women disperse the following night to surrounding areas and cut tall reeds. The following night, they bundle the reeds together and bring them back to the Queen Mother to be used in repairing holes in the reed windscreen surrounding the royal village.

After a day of rest and washing, the women prepare their traditional costumes consisting of a bead necklace, rattling anklets made from cocoons, a sash, and skirt. Many of them carry the bush knives, which they had earlier used to cut the reeds, as symbols of their virginity. Afterwards, they sing and dance as they parade in front of the royal family as well as a crowd of dignitaries, spectators, and tourists. After the parade, groups from select villages take to the centre of the field and put on a special performance for the crowd. The King's many daughters and royal princesses also participate in the reed dance ceremony and are distinguished by the crown of red feathers they wear in their hair.

The present form of the Reed Dance developed in the 1940s from the Umcwasho custom, where young girls were placed in age regiments to ensure their virginity.^[12] Once they had reached marriageable age, they would perform labour for the Queen Mother followed by dancing and a feast. The official purpose of the annual ceremony is to preserve the women's chastity, provide tribute labour for the Queen Mother, and produce solidarity among the women through working together.^[1]

The reed dance videos were once classified as age-restricted content by YouTube, which angered the users who had uploaded them. This included Lazi Dlamini, the head of TV Yabantu, an online video production company that aims to produce content that "protects, preserves and restores African values". Working with more than 200 cultural groupings across the country and in neighbouring Eswatini, Dlamini organised a series of protests against Google to force them to rethink their position. YouTube apologized, and allowed the showing of genuine African traditional videos. According to a representative for the company, they lifted the restriction, as it is not Google's policy to "restrict nudity in such instances where it is culturally or traditionally appropriate".^[13][14]

The date of the ceremony is scheduled by looking at the phases of the moon. Once the moon reaches full stage, the ceremony commences. Places where the reed is located are visited to check if it is ready for cutting and its availability. Preparations also include finding places where the young girls will sleep, health meals, organising transport to carry them from their respective constituencies to the royal kraal. From constituency level, the constituency chooses four trustworthy males who will lead the young group of girls from that constituency. If an emergency situation arises two of the men who are accompanying this girls will head back home to report the situation. From early days the girls start practicing traditional songs and traditional dances. At home, a girl will gather all the traditional attire needed for the ceremony.

In earlier times, the girls used to sleep outside in open space; today they sleep in tents. Today they are also ferried by lorries instead of walking long distances carrying the reed. Microphones are used to start songs and to announce which song will be sung. The Internet, social media, radio stations and television channels are now used to announce when the ceremony will commence.