Published by: Africa Gender Institute, 2006
Via: Eldis
This issue of Feminist Africa examines the question of sexual rights in Africa. The journal contains a range of articles which challenge the heterosexist and homophobic views of political and church leaders who claim that lesbian, gay and other dissident sexual and gender identities are “unAfrican”. The articles examine the historical development of these ideas in the colonial period and also profile individuals and organisations who are working to develop a sexual rights framework in contemporary Africa. The authors argue that sexual rights are not new sets of rights but the application of the existing set of internationally recognised rights to the domain of sexuality. African feminists have emphasised sexual rights in order to allow dialogue and activism to grow around identities, desires and needs that fall outside of the limited framing of marriage and motherhood. Some activists emphasise the right to freedom from violation which is important in the context of the gendered spread of HIV and the epidemic of sexual violence in Africa. Other activists focus on arguing for rights to pleasure, fulfilment and choices regarding sexual partners. The sexual rights framework challenges cultural ideas which disempower African women and has been opposed by conservative forces in African societies who claim that this is a “foreign” agenda. The authors call for the integration of sexual rights into the wider struggle for human rights and political freedom in Africa. (http://www.feministafrica.org/Feminist%20Africa%206.indd.pdf)
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