Emerging Sexual Ethics and the Erosion of African Ethos (original) (raw)

Globalization and the Indigenous Concept of Sexuality in African Tradition: Charting a New Course for Sexual Right and Safe Society

Globalization and the Indigenous Concept of Sexuality in African Tradition: Charting a New Course for Sexual Right and Safe Society, 2018

Across the human societies, the concept of sex and sexual relationship is attached with some degree of sacredness and in some cases, can be classified as a taboo if some rules guiding such activity is ignored or violated. African societies in particular, at various degrees, have an understanding of sexual relationship as a sacrosanct factor to the image of a group, and a respectable phenomenon which every member of the group must adhere to the rules guiding them. However, the era of culture contact has left an indelible mark on the understanding and perception of sexual relationship among the African societies. This paper analyses the trends in the perception of sex and sexual relationship among the African societies, in the face of cultural globalization using, the available Ethnographic literatures and other emerging issues. Though the wave of cultural globalization is so enormous to have sunk the ships of most African Traditional Cultures, the paper suggested a common ground for the accommodation of the concept of sex and sexual relationship between the African Traditional Culture and the emerging global culture.

New Perspectives on Sexualities in Africa

Introduction New Perspectives on Sexualities in Africa Marc Epprecht, Queen’s University Sexualités africaines contemporaines: nouvelles perspectives. Charles Gueboguo, Université de Yaoundé 1. Articles “The widow, the will, and widow-inheritance in Kampala: revisiting victimisation arguments,” Stella Nyanzi, Maragaret Emodu, Wilberforce Serwaniko 7100 words Faith in God, but not in Condoms: Churches and Competing Visions of HIV Prevention in Namibia, Nicole Rigillo 8537 words Deaf, gay, HIV positive and proud: Narrating an alternative identity in post apartheid South Africa, Ruth Morgan, Karin Willemse with John Meletse 8529 “Mombasa Morans:” Embodiment, Sexual Morality and Samburu Men in Kenya, George Paul Meiu 8932 Transactions sexuelles: sur les rétributions des pratiques homosexuelles à Bamako Christophe Broqua 7977 Penser les ‘droits’ des homosexuels/les en Afrique: du sens et de la puissance de l’action associative militante au Cameroun Charles Gueboguo 7550 Book Review Essays “African feminists on sexualities” Signe Arnfred 3000 Feminist Africa, issues 5 (2005) and 6 (2006) Agenda, issues 62 (2004), 63 (2005), 67 (2006) “Sexualities, Pleasure and Politics in Southern Africa” Bodil Fredericksen 2200 Graeme Reid and Liz Walker, guest editors, Sex and Secrecy, special issue of Culture, Health and Sexualty, 7 (3), 2005 Deevia Bhana, Robert Morrell, Jeff Hearn and Relebohile Moletsane, guest editors, Sexualities in Southern Africa, special issue of Sexualities 10 (2), 2007 “Southern African Homosexualities and Denials” Stephen O. Murray 1945 Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe. Unspoken Facts: A History of African Homosexualities Harare: GALZ 2007. 321+xi pp. Hoad, Neville. African Intimacies: Race, Homosexuality, and Globalization. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press 2007. 187 + xxxiii pp. Spurlin, William J. Imperialism within the Margins: Queer Representations and the Politics of Culture in Southern Africa. New York: Palgrave Macmillan 2006. 182+ ix pp. Contre l’homophobie en Afrique (version française) Patrick Awondo 1289 Charles Gueboguo, La question homosexuelle en Afrique. Le cas du Cameroun. Paris: l’Harmattan, 2006. 187 pp. Eboussi Boulaga (ed.), Terroirs, « L’homosexualité est bonne à penser », n°1-2/2007 Yaoundé: Académia Africana, 2007. 311 pp. “African Perspectives on Female Circumcision” Amy Kaler 1733 Mary Nyangweso Wangila. Female Circumcision: The Interplay of Religion, Culture and Gender in Kenya. Maryknoll NY: Orbis Books, 2007. 206 pp. Obioma Nnaemeka ed. Female Circumcision and the Politics of Knowledge: African Women in Imperialist Discourses. New York: Praeger, 2005. 296 pp. “Same sex-sexuality issues in some African popular media” Unoma Azuah 1100 Dibia, Jude. Walking with Shadows. Sands Press, Lagos, Nigeria, 2005. Aidoo, Ama, Ata (ed.) African Love Stories, Ayebia Clarke Publishing, London, 2006. Book Reviews Sévérin Cécile Abéga, Violence Sexuelle et l’État au Cameroun (Karthala 2007). Sybille N. Nyeck Julia Carter The Heart of Whiteness (Duke UP: 2007). Barrington Walker Catherine M Cole, Takyiwa Manuh and Stephan F Miescher (eds.) Africa After Gender (2007) Brigitte Bagnol Cary Alan Johnson. Off the Map: How HIV/AIDS Programming is Failing Same-Sex Practicing People in Africa. (New York: International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, 2007). 124 pp. Amanda Swarr Ruth Morgan and Saskia Wieringa (eds). Tommy Boys, Lesbian Men and Ancestral Wives: Female Same-Sex Practices in Africa. (Johannesburg: Jacana, 2005). Sam Bullington 997 Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale, Richmond Tiemoko and Paulina Makinwa-Adebusoye (eds), Human Sexuality in Africa: Beyond reproduction (Auckland Park, Fanele Jacana Media, 2007). Robert Morrell 1280 Nattrass, Nicoli. Mortal Combat: AIDS Denialism and the Struggle for Antiretrovirals in South Africa. (Scottsville: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, 2007). Mary Caesar 800 Stephanie Newell. The Forgers Tale: The Search for Odeziaku. (Athens: Ohio University Press, 2007). Taiwo Oluntorubo-Oju Alexander Rödlach. Witches, Westerners and HIV: AIDS and Cultures of Blame in Africa. (Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, 2006). Allison Goebel T. Shefer, K. Ratele, A. Strebel, N. Shabalala and R. Buikema (eds.) From Boys to Men: Social constructions of masculinity in contemporary society. (Cape Town, South Africa: UCT Press, 2007). Mikki van Zyl 921 WORKS CITED

Africa and the Sexuality Question

Research interests in gender study the world over has brought to bear remarkable weight of influence on the balance of the sexes and this has influenced major sociocultural engagements in the repositioning of the contemporary woman. These interests of course, have opened up interesting areas of study which are actually quite revealing. Surprising as the plethora of imbalances found in the study of the sexes are, their historicity is actually very distant and probably may have been as old as the first couple and as a result most African traditions have attempted justifications for these inherent inequalities. In this research which is about gender identities, in-depth attention is paid to instances of such justifications from biblical implications through traditional practices and the contemporary status of the woman, where she is almost at the crossroads of indecision: whether to be consigned to passivity and subservience or to dare the status quo and emerge as a holistically equal person with the masculine gender. This paper critically considers male power over female sexuality in Africa vis-a vis African traditions and the postcolonial Africa. Questions bothering on the ownership and control of the female body, marriage issues like bride-price (connoting purchase) and its ownership and a host of other sexuality-related issues are considered. The crux of the matter is that the female body must also gain maximum freedom in expression and control just as that of the male.

Interrogating Issues of Sexuality in Africa: An African Christian Response

East African Journal of Traditions, Culture and Religion

The issues of sexuality have been very contentious in Africa more so after the legalization of same-sex marriages by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2015 under the President Obama reign. Africans have resented the way sexuality is understood and practiced in the west and has termed it un-African. Some scholars and indeed African leaders have argued that the attitude towards sexuality is a modern practice which is being introduced and even forced to Africa by modernity and influenced greatly by the western worldview. In a modern setting, different sexual orientation has been accepted as a lifestyle and has been institutionalized. Although African does not refute the fact that there were and indeed still are people with different sexual orientation, they do not find it right to institutionalize it since according to African culture, this is an abnormality that needs to be corrected, sympathized with and tolerated. To that end, African peoples assisted those with a different sexual ori...

A Reflection on the African Traditional Values of Marriage and Sexuality

2012

It is the ‘opinion consensuses of a few scholars that the institution of marriage has continued to dwindle because of a lot of social economic and cultural factors. With the passing of time, certain ills have befallen marriage that it has dealt a devastating blow to society. This has produced along it trails a myriad of social problems as a result; single parenthood, divorce, separations, rape, homosexuality, lesbianism and prostitution, the list continues. These cases are rapidly on the increase. This reflection will adopt a social cultural analysis of the problem as it is viewed today, especially regarding various scholars who have contributed to this issue and have tried to tackle it in various aspects. It hopes to be critical not just analytic of some to the options and opinions adopted. The reflection also seeks to interpret within the context of the African traditional marriage and sexuality, the values attached especially to marriage. The objective of the reflection is to est...

Rethinking sexualities in Africa

Choice Reviews Online, 2005

2. This commissioned study was carried out under the auspices of a collection of local and international research and development Non-Governmental Organisations (cf. NDT & CASS 1994; Becker and Hinz 1995). 1. I refer to the area as Owambo unless specified contexts require the colonial designation, Ovamboland.

Doing Research on Sexuality in Africa: Ethical Dilemmas and the Positioning of the Researcher

2007

The process of knowledge production involves a series of steps and is influenced by several factors which impact upon the end result of the research in various ways. When the topic of research is sexuality such conditions and influences become surrounded by a greater number of implications, some with far-reaching consequences. Not only is this due to the fact that sexuality is generally regarded as a sensitive topic, if not a taboo, that must not be mentioned in public, but it is also a topic that poses difficult questions that the researcher must resolve or the very success of the project may be in jeopardy. This article reflects on key epistemological conversations and debates on doing research on sexuality in Africa. The authors are both anthropologists who have conducted research in urban areas of Mozambique on young people’s sexuality. One of the authors focused his interest on exploring the socio-cultural construction of sexual scripts for sexual acts in Maputo city. The other...

The State of Knowledge on Sexuality in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Synthesis of Literature

Jenda: A Journal of Culture and African Women Studies, 2006

The State of Knowledge on Sexuality in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Synthesis of Literature. The study of sexuality is largely underdeveloped in sub-Saharan Africa and few scholars have demonstrab le interest and focus in this area. Yet, sexuality is at the core of our exi stence and is central to the socio-economic and development challenges confronte d in sub-Saharan Africa. The lack of professional research capacity in SSA has become more evident with the escalating HIV/AIDS epidemic. The fai lure to deal with the disease has highlighted limitations of the extensiv e ocial science research being carried out on the continent to strengthen prog rams that advocate change in sexual behavior. The near exclusive focus on beh avior change (mainly in terms of number and type of sexual partners and con dom use) has limited fuller understanding of sexuality and how it is con eptualized and applied in various societies in sub-Saharan Africa. Our purpos e in this paper is, thus, to examine the stat...