Even though Nigeria has recently seen a more active conversation around the issue of sexuality and gender, these conversations are played out on the premise of sentiments, morality, religion and assumptions rather than on facts. But it is facts and not assumption that can put things into perspective.
Since the introduction of modern
religion into Africa, there has been confusion between the real African
identity vs enforced identity.
This confusion has also found its
way into the discourse around cultural identity. The modern
understanding of what really is an “African culture” has created a basis
for identity misunderstanding not just in Nigeria, but the whole of
Africa.
It was not only religion that played a role in the misconstruction of “African Culture” in the 21st
century. With the coming of colonizing, African identities were
systematically washed away. Africans were made to believe through
western education, politics and religion that anything African is not
fit for purpose and therefore demonized in most of the cases.
However, unlike culture, identity is more on a personal individualist level. Identity could be strongly interwoven with culture.
I remembered when I first came to
the United Kingdom, as a Nigerian. There are certain things in my
culture that were not permitted within the English culture. For example,
the English could not understand why I have to eat certain food with my
fingers.
However, that lack of cultural
understanding has not taken away from me my gender identity as a man nor
has it eroded my sexual identity as a gay man.
Therefore, how then does the
argument used by Nigerian religious and political class as regards
sexuality and gender fit into the actualization of fundamental human
rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people?
Prior to colonization, there are
evidences to prove that Africa was never a “heteronomative” society. In
“African Sexualities: A Reader” Sylvia Tamale argues: “African sexuality
lies in ancient histories that live through girot, ighyuwas, imbongies,
jellies, igawens, guewels".
As a young child with deep interest
in my culture, I was really fascinated at the eloquences with which
histories are passed on from generation to generations in Africa through
the power of poetry and oration.
I remembered in 2005, as part of my
research in sexuality and sexual identity, I came across the famous word
“Adodi”. This translates as “anus fucker”. The fact that there is a
language for sexual behaviour explains that there are indeed people that
are considered as such.
Aside from that, many of African
arts (it is important to note here that while Africans were never seen
as writers, the one fact that can never be taken away from us is that
fact that we are artist. We tell the story of our lives through our
sculpture, painting and drawing), have shown the celebration of same
sexual relationship before the colonization of the continent.
African arts has had huge influence
on the Greek art and even more so the roman arts. These arts that not
only promote but celebrate sexuality has African culture and identity at
its core.
From Igbo Ukwu, to Benin and Ife
art, Nigerian art works celebrate the existence of same sexual
relationship, not as seen as “homosexuality” in modern terms, but as a
process of nurturing the acceptance of dualism of sexuality.
In religious setting, most Nigerian
gods actually have dual sexes. Take for example ESU who is neither man
nor woman, male of female. Shango, the god of thunder is dressed as
transvestites, wearing skirts with earrings on both ears and braided
hair. Obatala, though a male god is subtle, emotional and sexual.
Even more interesting are the female
gods. Oya the goddess of the ocean and Yemoja the mermaid are said to
have used their sexuality to conquer men. They were not just seductive,
but they exhibited a level of romantic affinity for each other.
Then the question will be, what
happened? Ben Anderson in “The Politics of Homosexuality in Africa”
examined the written literature of colonial observation of same sexual
relationship in Africa.
According to him, examples of famous
western sexuality historians like Staples, Davies and Whitten tend to
disregard pre-colonial homosexuality in Africa as a forced, accidental
‘phase’ rather than a cognitive choice”.
Anderson noted that in an article in
1982, Lamb argued, “it is curious by Western standards that
homosexuality in Africa is virtually unknown.” He stated further that
“Africa’s traditional is rigidly heterosexual”.
As a student of African sexuality
and gender identity, I know this is not true. I am not alone in my
argument, Dr. C. Otutubikey Izugbara in a paper titled “Patriarchal
Ideology and Discourses of Sexuality in Nigeria” explained that
“evidence, indeed suggests that, in many cases, homosexual practices,
while not always explicitly discussed or identified as such in larger
public imaginary were often treated with more tolerance in pre-colonial
Nigeria than during and after colonial period”.
In the book “The origins and Role of
Same Sex Relations in Human Societies” James Neil buttressed my earlier
assertion that in Nigeria homosexuality is rooted in our traditional
religious believe. He stated, “members of the a spirit possession cult
among the Hausa in northern Nigeria practices cross-dressing and take
the passive role in homosexual intercourse”.
Lyn Ossome in her contribution to
Queer African Reader edited by Sokari Ekine and Hakima Abbas further
dismissed the perceived westernization of homosexuality on the continent
of Africa. In a contribution, she argued that the notion that “there is
no homosexuality in Africa” is a false claim “often accompanied by the
similarity insidious accusation that homosexuality is a ‘western
perversion’ imposed upon or adopted by African population”.
In the book “The construction of
Homosexuality” Greenburg documented the existence of same sexual
relationship in diverse African communities including Nigeria.
Also Davis and co in “The Cross-Cultural Study of Human Sexuality.
Annual review of Anthropology” argued that “a wide variety of homosexual
behaviour is reported”, they also documented “the use of artificial
phalli” between two women as a “compensation for rare heterosexual
intercourse”.
Two notable anthropologists have not
only documented behaviours, but they have also shown acceptance even to
the level of marriage. First of such is William Naphy in his
well-written book “Born to be Gay”.
In it, Naphy captured the process of same gender marriage with the
medium of paying bride price. He claimed, “it is clear that customs
involving woman-woman ‘marriages” (in which case bride-price and dowries
may exchange hands) is extensive”. He dismissed argument against same
sex relations in Africa as ‘ludicrous and to suggest that a practice
which is so widespread and yet differently constructed is anything but
indigenous. Even more so Naphy considered any argument by white
Europeans against the exhibition of same sex relations between Africans
as racism.
Another interesting take on beyond
sexual behaviour to actual exhibition of relationship is ‘Boy wives ad
female husband’. According to Anderson, this book in its research “also
effectively demonstrates the existence of same sex love before the
arrival of the white settlers”
But let us for a second agree with
the proposition of Staples that exhibition of same sexual behaviour in
pre-colonial Nigeria was a phase. The question we then have to ask is:
where did they learn this phase? Who and what influenced the occurrence
of this phase among what the western academia will refer as “primitive”
people.
There are possibly two answers to
these questions. Its is either we argue that Africans are of lesser
human and therefore happened to experiment occasional sexuality, or that
actually, homosexuality like every other human traits is inherent in
all people irrespective of race, gender, or age.
If you agree with me that
homosexuality is very African as much as it is Nigerian, then the
argument put forward by both the western and the African opposition to
homosexual behaviour is flawed.
No comments:
Post a Comment