Halala! Full on Reed Dance ceremony to take place in September

The annual Umkhosi Womhlanga or the traditional Zulu Reed Dance will return this year in September following a 2-year hiatus from the normal activities forced by Covid-19. 

The announcement was made by the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Provincial Government on Tuesday, 30 August. 

WHAT IS THE ZULU REED DANCE? 

The reed dance is one of the most famous events in the Zulu cultural calendar where thousands of virgins from various provinces including neighbouring countries descend to Enyokeni Royal Palace in Nongoma, KZN. This has been the case since the late King Goodwill Zwelithini KaBhekuzulu introduced the dance back in 1991 and the ceremony usually takes about three to four days with the main event being on a Saturday.

This year, the first leg of the reed dance will be held at Emachobeni in Ingwavuma on 3 September and the second leg will return to Enyokeni Royal Palace the following weekend. 

Our culture. 🥰 #uMkhosiWomhlanga pic.twitter.com/THtfkjyCO8

— 𝕃𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕠 𝕄𝕪𝕖𝕟𝕚 (@LindoMyeni) September 7, 2019

Traditionally, before the ceremony, maidens are expected to undergo virginity testing. Maidens come bare breasted and carry the reed from one place to another at the palace. If the reed breaks it means that the maiden is no longer a virgin and they will not participate. 

The Reed Dance has been used by the late king to promote sexual abstinence and purity until marriage, it was also used to encourage and as a strategy to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS despite KwaZulu-Natal leading with the number of HIV infected people. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for an end to virginity testing labelling it as a violation of women’s rights. However the late king defended it. 

“The term ‘virginity’ is not a medical or scientific term.  Rather, the concept of ‘virginity’ is a social, cultural and religious construct – one that reflects gender discrimination against women and girls.

The social expectation that girls and women should remain ‘virgins’ (i.e. without having sexual intercourse) is based on stereotyped notions that female sexuality should be curtailed within marriage. This notion is harmful to women and girls globally.”

WHO

Our ancestors were never fools for promoting such practices as umkhosi womhlanga and many like this kwaXhosa we call it Inkciyo. It's a solution to teenage pregnancy, children born out of wedlock, STIs, broken families for young girls etc. But ker we think it's being backward pic.twitter.com/rE3hAvI4K7

— Jola (@Xhosa35176379) May 13, 2022

In 2020, the late King Goodwill addressed the maidens virtually and spoke against the rampant scourge of gender-based violence and the Covid-19 pandemic in the country. Instead of maidens presenting reeds before the king as an affirmation of their virginity, the monarch was instead presented with placards and messages against gender-based violence and femicide.

In 2021, the recently coronated King Misuzulu led his first Reed Dance, however, only 30 maidens were allowed at the Enyokeni Royal Palace.

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