Dear reader,
Today, I would like to talk about the African culture; a case study of sexuality. Growing up in Africa , many things are explained (or not explained) simply by using the phrase , “It is not our culture’ and whenever you attempt to scratch further you would realise that these self appointed custodians of the African culture know next to nothing about the culture. Feminism is un-African they say, but I remember my great grandmother being a feminist and she had no contact with the ‘Western world’. We are told that homosexuality and gender fluidity are un-African, yet we have records supporting their existence in Africa, as far back as the 14th century. Despite the very fluid nature of gender and sexuality in Africa, how have we become quite unaccepting?
Rock paintings of the San tribe in Zimbabwe depict homosexual interactions. From Nigeria to Kenya and Southern Africa, we see primitive existence of woman-woman marriages. I remember about a decade ago when I questioned my understanding of the Igbo language because the priest was preaching against women marrying women in Anambra, Nigeria. I was confused because prior to then, that concept had never crossed my mind. This was in a village where most have no contact with the outside world. How then were they radicalised by the ‘West’?
Turn any homophobic corner in Africa and you’re guaranteed to run into a delirious celebration of “African culture,” but there’s nothing African about homophobia.-Kamau Muiga
In various tribes of Africa, the existence of appropriate terminologies show that these concepts aren’t new. In Cameroon and Gabon, homosexuality was a way of transmitting wealth. The Nzima of Ghana practised same. The warriors of Sudan’s Zande tribe married boys and paid dowry to the parents, they were known as boy-wives.
It would be nice to explore the criminalization of homosexuality and gender fluidity. It was the Portuguese who first described it as an ‘unnatural damnation’. Andrew Battell, an English traveller in the 1590s, wrote this of the Imbangala of Angola: “They are beastly in their living, for they have men in women’s apparel, whom they keep among their wives.”
During a prime time interview with BBC’s “Hard Talk” show in March 2012, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni noted, “Homosexuals in small numbers have always existed in our part of black Africa …They were never prosecuted. They were never discriminated.” Despite this statement, few years later, when it was time for elections, he had to retract and sign an anti-homosexuality bill because African’s wouldn’t vote for such a president. So, is the problem similar to that of anti-feminists? A realisation that an initial minority might become so powerful and self-aware?
In the words of Sylvia Tamale, “It is ironic that an African dictator wearing a three-piece suit, caressing an iPhone, speaking in English and liberally quoting the Bible can dare indict anything for being un-African”.
One must begin to wonder when culture became static. We must never forget our culture but we must also adapt. We did adapt our culture with the coming of the colonial masters, why then have we refused to adapt further? Perhaps because we have had it codified into law.
Paraphrasing the words of Mehcad, I cannot expect anyone in this society not to be homophobic. Our society is a homophobic container. We don’t need change of hearts and minds. We need to change consciousness and policy transformations.
We must be bigger than the conditions in which we are born and try to be the best humans we can be. It is barbaric for a father to rape his daughter in a bid to cure her of the lesbian demon. It is demonic for parents to disown a child because of his/her/their… sexuality or preferred pronoun.
Whenever we want to debunk the idea of varied sexualities, it would be more logical to leave our traditions out of it. Christianity or Islam isn’t our culture. While we might argue this on grounds of morality, we must remember the question asked by Pope Francis, “Who am I to judge homosexuals?”
“There’s one more thing you better understand. I have taught myself to sew, cook, fix plumbing, build furniture — I can even pat myself on the back when necessary — all so I don’t have to ask anyone for anything. There’s nothing I need from anyone except for love and respect and anyone who can’t give me those two things has no place in my life.” — Arnold, ‘Torch Song Trilogy’
Dear reader, I hope I have earned the privilege of your time?
With love,
XX
