Let’s Discuss…About Homosexuality Being African
From Dakar to Guinea to Burkina Faso to Nigeria to Kenya and to Uganda, there is a wealth of evidence pointing to the existence of homosexuality in sub-Saharan Africa before so-called Western influence.
1. In traditional, monarchical Zande culture [Central Africa], homosexuality is indigenous. […] Indeed it is very sensible for a man to sleep with boys when women are not available or are taboo.
2. Among the Kaguru of Tanzania, some women practise lesbian activities during female initiation, women taking both the roles of men and of women in demonstrating sexual congress to initiates.
3. Among the Mossi in what is now Burkina Faso, soronés (pages), chosen from among the most beautiful boys aged seven to fifteen, were dressed and had the other attributes (including the role) of women in relation to chiefs.
4. [And] according to Eva Meyerowitz’s fieldwork in the Gold Coast (now Ghana) during the 1940s, “lesbian affairs were virtually universal among unmarried Akan women, sometimes continuing after marriage. Whenever possible, the women purchased extra- large beds to accommodate group sex sessions involving perhaps half-a-dozen women.
The above are just four examples excerpted from Stephen O. Murray’s discourse of the evidence of homosexuality among various cultures in sub-Saharan Africa. Download Free PDF here.
So…
Why are African countries (particularly in the sub-Sahara) bent on erasing every trace of homosexual history while tagging it a Western import? What’s with the heavy cultural silence around the subject?
Let us know your thoughts on this pesky issue over why the general populace of Africa seem to think Homosexuality is not us.
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29 Comments
Max
November 15, 04:00Their hate lies in their blind piety and also influenced by the west too.. Since almost all African countries were colonized by the western world, the homophobic nature actually came from them..
pinkpanthertb
November 15, 04:06How so?
Max
November 15, 04:14The two major religions in Africa were imported… One from the east and one from west.. Western behavior (in the past) still runs through Africa.. So they carry a huge part of the blame..
pinkpanthertb
November 15, 04:28They are not to blame. They have moved on. We are still clutching to the homophobia. How are they to blame for the blind reluctance African nations have over letting go of the anti homosexuality?
Max
November 15, 04:35Lol. That’s it. They moved on, we haven’t. Apparently we think we understand their religion more than then…
enigmous
November 15, 04:42I have a dream, that one day, homosexualism will be generally accepted across all African countries. Pinky nne, biko what happened to Declan?
Ace
November 15, 05:20I remember in secondary school, a girl shared in with the class how religion changed some “evil practices”. She said her dad told her that during pre-colonial times in their village, two men or women could be joined together in marriage. Homosexuality is as African as it is American. I still don’t understand how this claim of it is “Unafrican”.
Deola
November 15, 05:30One word, RELIGION. Nigerians and Africans are so into Religion and yet are not in any way Religious.
pinkpanthertb
November 15, 05:33Ironic, innit?
Dennis Macauley
November 15, 05:35The boy wives of the massai also! They take them to war, and their job is to take care of the camps! The warrior also use their “spears” on them (the human spear I mean LOL)
Legalkoboko
November 15, 05:47I always find this topic very philosophical.
What exactly makes a human activity African?
Is it just the fact that it is done by Africans?
or is it the fact that it is done by Africans AND accepted by A MAJORITY of Africans, so that when the act in question is put TO THE VOTE and is voted down, then it automatically loses it’s Africannes?
See how ridiculous the debate is?
As if we do thinks just because they are “African”. Humph!
Is homosexuality human? That’s the correct question. Africa bigots can be particularly funny.
Legalkoboko
November 15, 05:51Pinky biko my comment is not directed at u oo. Just questioning the bigots that say our sexuality isn’t African.
Deola
November 15, 05:56Haha, are you afraiding something, this one that you did clarification sharp sharp??? Pinky doesn’t bite na. At least I don’t think he does.
pinkpanthertb
November 15, 06:00See me o, Deola. Me in all my chewing-gum-pink glory.
Legalkoboko
November 15, 06:06hei! Are you afraiding something! haha my pidgon vocabulary just expanded oo. Lol.
Abeg pinky that your chwin gum is making too much noise here. Can’t you see I’m trying to read some comments on this blog? ha!
pinkpanthertb
November 15, 06:08Hahahahahahahaa. Legal you no serious
pinkpanthertb
November 15, 05:59Lol I totally got your point, Legal.
Masked Man
November 15, 07:30Whether it’s African, or Orient based, or Western influenced, none seems to be an issue to me. What matters most is why someone’s sexual preference should infringe upon his rights as a human. Homosexuality was popular in ancient Greece and Rome, what’s the story today?
chestnut
November 15, 08:16I once read in a psychology textbook,attempting to unravel the mystery of same-sex attraction, that in d olden days,in some part of Africa(don’t remember where exactly), the initiation processes and rites of passage of a boy maturing into a ‘man’, required adolescent boys to take “man-milk”, just as much as it was required for babies to take “woman-milk”(aka breast-milk). Now,I can only guess what man-milk is,and how it’s gotten from d source, since d chapter was talking abt homosexuality.
Peak
November 15, 09:17Chestnut I think I read something like that earlier in the year. Young men suck dicks and swallow cum from the elderly men in the community to gain strenght. A right of passage to become a man/warrior, where the participant gets the strength of passed warriors passed down to them to become full grown men. I think is somewhere in congo I can’t quite remember but I ve seen and read an article about it
Peak
November 15, 09:06Personally I think our problems as africans stems from a number of issues ranging from ignorance, stubborness, self hate, hypocrisy among other issues. We expend way too much energy discrediting western influence and civilization whereas we are the biggest importers of western way of. Life. We are eager to blame ppl or something for whatever we deem unacceptable.
Homosexuality is as old as anyone can remember, I was even shocked when I read an article that said homosexuality exist among animals and even went. As far as youtubeing it to see videos among animals captured with lions included. And am suppose to believe its Unnatural? We need to explore outside our comfort zone, all that is required is reading and thinking outside the box, that seems to be a HUGE task for the average african, so its easy and cheaper to label everything that does not conform with their personal believes rather that conducting a cause and effect investigation. We can say all we want but a great deal of africans don’t know their origin as a ppl, except what the media passes down to them and let’s face it homosexuality only started gaining mainsteam prominence in recent years and there haven’t been a lot of factual literature or media coverage of the subject matter its still considered as a taboo by some sects
Kryss S
November 15, 09:18The Bugandan Kings in Modern day Uganda did same thing too! The selected beautiful boys as pages nd do as dey like with them too! Although they claim d Arabs introduced it to them.
I think our cultural silence is just a show of ignorance! Africans especially d modern ones don’t really know their culture nd they don’t care to read up either! Their rant is always based on hearsay nd not fact! Religion is also a major aspect they use in buttressing their point!
gad
November 15, 09:49Rant is it!!!
gad
November 15, 09:43Homosexuality is not a native of any particular continent. It exists anywhere where man and animals are found and in all ages and times but if we must give it a nationality, I will submit that homosexuality is an indigene of nature cos it’s natural. African traditional religion as much as I know is silent on the subject of homosexuality. I can boldly assert that it’s not a taboo in ATR bcos we hear of people making sacrifices to appease the gods for adultery and sometimes fornication but never have I heard where one is asked to cleanse the land for acts of homosexuality committed.
FKA Chizzie
November 15, 10:04Homosexuality isn’t African..or American. ..or European for that matter, its human and I think its part of our inherent nature. it has existed for centuries, since the inception of humanity itself. You can’t confine its origins to a particular group of ppl or a location
it is as old as Adam and Eve
And thats what homophobes don’t get, homosexuality will always be in existence as long as humanity and society exists.
The sooner they come to terms w it, the better it is for both parties involved.
Dom
November 15, 11:46Once I was told that the Hausas have a word for a homosexual- dandaudu(something like that, I am not sure). It came to light also that the society assigns them a role, that they are the ones, culturally, supposed to own restaurants for commercial purposes. If any of that is true, how then is it that a culture has a word for a homosexual, assigns him a role and yet the reality of that particular sexuality is imported? When there’s a word for a thing in a culture I wonder if that’s not enough anthropological verifier, assuming my info is correct?
Dominic
November 15, 12:37You are very correct bro. I grew up knowing dandaudus as an accepted members of the core northern communities.
Chuck
November 15, 15:10Nigeria has poor educational institutions – at the primary and secondary levels in particular. That, coupled with poor historical awareness, and poverty, is responsible for the assumptions that people make. Religious leaders are also to blame!
Emeka
November 20, 22:56I remember vividely,that mum told me of my uncle that hated women and in turn did not marry or had a kid during his lifetime.so I think that homosexuality is not foreign