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Developments:
Hlabisa, South Africa: The reed dance, where 15,000 virgins dance semi-naked before the Zulu King, was held last weekend. The story goes that once upon a time, a group of Zulu maidens were bathing in the river. They were attacked by a man intent on raping them. The maidens beat him away with reeds, and went to tell the King that they had been attacked but preserved their honour. Their heroics are now celebrated every year.
This year's dance incorporated HIV prevention messages which emphasised that virginity is something to be proud of. When I asked a friend of mine who attended the dance how they knew the girls were virgins (most girls in the area are sexually experienced by the age of 17), he replied that he had accidentally wandered into the "virgin testing area", thinking it was a beer tent. After he made a hasty exit (having realised he was the only male in there), my friend was told the girls were being tested manually by elderly ladies.
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