Swaziland's annual Reed Dance draws tourists

SWAZILAND'S wives gather at the Ludzidzini Palace this weekend to celebrate the annual Lutsango Reed Dance to honour Queen Mother Ntombi Thwala through traditional dancing and feasting. The annual ceremony sees thousands of married Swazi women and tourists gather to cut and clean special reeds from the Ezulwini valley. The women will use the material to repair traditional enclosures and huts at the Ludzidzini Palace, where the kingdom's absolute monarch, King Mswati III, lives. The festival is recognised as one of the last intact African ritual festivals celebrated for its original purpose and not commercial tourism. (African Eye News Service)