Feminist Africa 6: Subaltern Sexualities (original) (raw)
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Disordering and reordering African Sexualities through the Power of Language and Naming
Among the aspects that make complex the understanding of African sexualities 2 is that of linguistic and interpretation. As a power, language has through descriptions and naming, been used to mediate, disorder, and reorder sexualities in African societies. This process is often gendered and can be recognised through words, phrases and expressions that communicate certain dynamics of power. As a tool of power language has been utilized by colonialism, Christian missions, cultural traditionalists, popular culture protagonists, and international bodies to lodge colonialists' linguistics while dislodging many African traditional languages and practices. Practices such as Female genital circumcision (FGC) have persisted partly due to linguistic limitations.Whether FGC is understood as a 'mutilation' or 'other', nevertheless language plays a central role in obscuring efforts to address health complications associated with the practice. The paper uses an African feminist approach. First, it argues that linguistic aspects that embed the contemporary understanding of African sexualities have colonialist and Christian missions' roots, and that the dislodging of local languages has facilitated continued violence against women. Second, by taking the case of female genital circumcision as still practiced by some communities among the Sabiny people of Uganda the paper argues that the internationally recognised term of 'mutilation' may not necessarily be 'communicating' to the practicing communities, instead may be interpreted and resisted as imperialistic. " Whether we call it discourse, rhetoric or semantics, the use of certain kind of language matters. Language is learned, in part, by observing, assessing, and naming not only things in material world or the intellectual universe but also by classifying people's behaviour. Linguistic statements (or words, phrases) often imply judgements about the social identity of a particular human being or a group of people " (Gouda, 1999:163). Sexuality one of the discourses that calls people's immediate attention yet at the same time approached and expressed in a coded metaphorical language may not be understood without paying attention to the aspect of linguistics. Seemingly 'Hidden' yet 'pokes' through our day today expressions and behavior, sexuality has been disordered, reordered, gendered, and exposed to the measure of hierarchies. Forces such as colonialism, Christian missions, cultural traditions, popular cultures, globalization, as well as international bodies such as Word health Organization (WHO) have in their particular times succeeded in either or both disordering and reordering the understanding of sexuality in Africa. The use of language and semiotics has been effectively used in this agenda. 1 Gyaviira Kisitu is from Uganda, a PhD candidate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in the school of Religion, Philosophy and Classics. His research interest focuses on sexualities, gender and African theology. +27783407451/kisitudavis@yahoo.com 2 The term African sexualities is used to " highlight those aspects of cultural ideology…widely shared among the vast majority of people within the geographical entity baptized 'Africa' by colonial map makers. It is used politically to call attention to some of the commonalities and shared historical legacies inscribed in cultures and sexualities within the region by forces such as colonialism, capitalism, imperialism, globalization and fundamentalism " (Tamale, 2014:151).
Disordering and reordering African Sexualities1 through the Power of Language and Naming
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GENDER & WOMEN'S STUDIES, 2015
Among the aspects that make complex the understanding of sexualities in Africa is that of linguistic and interpretation. As a power, language has through descriptions and naming, been used to mediate, disorder, and reorder sexualities in African societies. This process is often gendered and can be recognised through words, phrases and expressions that communicate certain dynamics of power. As a tool of power language has been utilized by colonialism, Christian missions, cultural traditionalists, popular culture protagonists, and international bodies to lodge colonialists' linguistics while dislodging many African traditional languages and practices. Practices such as Female genital circumcision (FGC) have persisted partly due to linguistic limitations.Whether FGC is understood as a 'mutilation' or 'other', nevertheless language plays a central role in obscuring efforts to address health complications associated with the practice. The paper uses an African feminist approach. First, it argues that linguistic aspects that embed the contemporary understanding of African sexualities have colonialist and Christian missions' roots, and that the dislodging of local languages has facilitated continued violence against women. Second, by taking the case of female genital circumcision as still practiced by some communities among the Sabiny people of Uganda the paper argues that the internationally recognised term of 'mutilation' may not necessarily be 'communicating' to the practicing communities, instead may be interpreted and resisted as imperialistic.
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
In this paper I utilise 'autoethnography'. In dialogue with my white ancestor's Dr Sidney Spencer Kachalola Broomfield's autobiography Kachalola or the Mighty Hunter (1931), I examine his representation of the black female body in Northern Rhodesia (present day Zambia). Broomfield presents the black female body as decadent, demonised and sexualised, accusing it of conquering white men regardless of education, class and religious affiliation. Firstly, I question how the black female body sexuality and reproduction became site of social, political and racial contest and entanglement and contradictorily also the site of collaboration between white and black men; secondly, I examine the ongoing legacies of Broomfield's representation.