When August come, young unmarried girls happily rushed for the Umhlanga Reed Dance, they didn't know right from wrong and love and hate. They all or most of them have the eager to go cut reed , cheer and dance in front of the king.
Critics and Religion
My sisters did attended it some time ago, but my mother would turn up a red eye on them since she was a religious woman. The old woman would say this was just not a clean act as he uttered those words in a Christian point of view. When they were young they would cook umphako for themselves, something like a whole chicken and some peanuts. They would go there willingly, with their friends same age as them joyfully. My father would argue with her saying its a culture his children should go through since his forefathers entertained it and he said that it was good for a girl child.
In which way it is good for a girl child? It keep girls virgins and loyal to the Swazi culture someone may say that. It is a celebration of a girl child, time where they meet together, share memories, hardships and get taught about life of a girl. All that is true, the question get rising when we touch the issue of virginity again. Long time ago only virgin girls would attend the event, if it happened that a girl wasn't a virgin then her reed will wilt and that was a big shame. As we go through the ages of time things changed dramatically and drastically, not only virgin attends the reed dance nowadays. Am curving this point with rich experience- one girl in my locale had a baby but still goes there; two girls who are my neighbours also have some bitter and worse but awkward backgrounds. To prove a point, is what happening today meet the above objectives of this festival? am not saying this because I like to criticize, but the my God gave me keep on blasting if I don't play with words, if I don't speak my mind, if I don't give the world a clear picture of current events.
Love of culture
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| Joyful girls |
It is our culture, yes we love it so much, but then we should take into consideration the current time we living in. Our kids go there every year and we would say they are being taken care of. I mean given proper food, shelter and love.
Mode Of Transport
Expert a truck, a high one used for construction purposes, to ferry these young girls from and to the royal residence. Another question going viral on the web is: is the mode of transport an effective and safe one? Don't say I wrote this because something happened, but just to outline what you didn't know excactly. With a speed limit less than normal because of its form factors, it suppose to abide to those terms- but we Swazis prefer using it as a means to transport our children to our beloved reed dance. It is ok isn't it? To make it short and clear, we don't like seeing our kids on top of trucks, we want them to travel safe, from home to their beloved destination. I don't know who to blame for the way our kids are ferried, whether the ministry of transport of the royal family? just that I don't know who pay the fees; who is on top of this league.
Suggestion- it is highly suggestible that buses and mini-buses should be used as a matter of fact. It is safe compared to what we use. Imagine a kid: overwhelmed by the joy of being with friends- jump and dance through the air, only to find herself down on the hard road mourning over his blood oozing on the black and rough road. Just imagine? On the other hand your kid blew by hard and dirty air on a journey of 50 kilometres? She might get sick, get coughs and get infected by air diseases. No one like it or maybe no one hate it too.
Speak-out
Speaking from a wide-awake person perspective I always found it useful for people to raise issues, put them to discussions , debating them and finally getting the desired and effective measures deployed successfully. Talking is cheap but somehow its cost more than your life. So some said there was an accident there, where a massive number of girls died? because I wasn't there, I wont elaborate more since that would be a lie, something passed to the masses held as grapevine. But in everything truth should lead. They did died, not peacefully though. It is just a sorry sight encounter we Swazis are facing, that's why we bow down, crying over our lost sisters and future women.
Continuation of event
Although some kids died the Umhlanga Reed Dance go in full sprint, sadly that's what? it is like playing Koze Koze on your big speakers while people are mourning for your father who is dead. How can a celebration continue if the reason for that celebration is not on spot? That's how we Swazis roll, we are in the same party- yes; but then one dies we continue partying more. But then I am a kid in this block, I don't know how and what adults think, the only motivation I got is on my rich mind. Sober!!!!!!!! I thought they would pause the event and mourn, no cries?
2 comments:
we don't know how that really happened but it was a shock, maybe the king should do something
To what I can say; why do you always critisize or blame people. people do loose their lives in different way but that doesn't mean its someone's fault
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