For those uncertain about the wisdom of an absolute monarchy, I present to you his royal highness, King Mswati III of Swaziland. This 37 year old ruler has been in the news before, chiefly in connection with expensive purchases of luxury cars, private jets and the likes. (Swaziland has an average PPP/GDP of about $5,100 - 126th in the world - and an average life expectancy of just 33 years - dead last, pardon my pun.)
This time the King is making headlines with his annual Reed Dance Ceremony, in which "more than 50,000 bare-breasted virgins vied to become the King of Swaziland's 13th wife". The age limit for participation? 13. The percentage of Swazis with HIV? 40 - the highest in the world. Sensitive guy, this.
One might think his highness had received a sufficient degree of punishment for his sins by having twelve wives (and presumably a few mother-in-laws), and an undisclosed number of children. However, he seems to have ways of preserving the family peace, as he apparently had his daughter (and several others) whipped for playing loud music (I am not wholly unsympathetic to the idea) at a party in connection with the Reed Dance. And they wonder why this continent is so fucked?
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