Overview

A delightful romp exploring African traditions around sexual pleasure, with the personal goal of self-discovery and liberation, by one of Africa's preeminent feminists. While working on her first book, The Sex Lives of African Women, acclaimed feminist and activist Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah had access to the wildest dreams and spiciest realities of Black women from around the world. But so often, she noticed that something was holding them back from achieving full liberation and unfettered joy. So, she set out to apply sankofa--which means learning from the past to inform the future--to sexuality and pleasure, reclaiming African traditions in a quest to achieve true freedom. In Seeking Sexual Freedom, Sekyiamah takes readers across the African continent, from Senegal to Tanzania and beyond, where she meets and trains with gurus, ""witches"", and aunties whose job it is to guide girls through puberty rites and later through ""marital training."" She discusses practices like beading and pulling, while highlighting the spiritual and gender-fluid nature of African traditional religions. With the ""interruption"" of colonialism, Sekyiamah explores why we have lost our way, how western patriarchal norms led to our warped ideals of beauty and shame, internalized racism, as well as to state and interpersonal violence. Sankofa, she explains, can help rid us of these obstacles that stand in the way of our sexual liberation. Using practical advice and prompts, Sekyiamah concludes this adventure by giving us the tools we need to establish a more joyful and free sexual practice of our own. Part travelogue, part manifesto, Seeking Sexual Freedom is the powerful and bold call to pleasure women of all backgrounds need today.

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9781668209684

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is officially our pleasure fairy godmother! In Seeking Sexual Freedom she scours the African continent and its diaspora, learning about sexuality in all its forms, so that we can truly liberate ourselves. A generous and important book."" --Ayesha Harruna Atta, author of The Hundred Wells of Salaga and The Deep Blue Between

""Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah has done it again. Seeking Sexual Freedom is an essential history and a rallying cry for sexual liberation for Black women---cishet, trans, queer, sex workers, all of us. Guided by the principle that pleasure is our birthright, Sekyiamah's inquiries and explorations across the African continent remind us that 'tradition' doesn't have to be a dirty word and that our bodies can be sites of resistance. Seeking Sexual Freedom is chockfull of practical wisdom for cultivating joyful, erotic practices. I will return to my dog-eared copy again and again."" --Deesha Philyaw, bestselling author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies ""Seeking Sexual Freedom strikes at the heart of what we all deserve -- full bodily autonomy, deep relationality, and reclamation of traditions that are rightfully ours. Today's global struggles against fascism will be strengthened by Sekyiamah's insights and brilliance. We cannot afford another century of radical movements that fail to account for people as sexual beings, this book will help us reimagine what is possible."" --Charlene A. Carruthers, author of Unapologetic ""Adventurous, curious, honest, and at times totally mind-blowing. A book for anyone who cares about female pleasure. Which is to say, a book for everyone!"" --Afua Hirsch, author of Brit(ish) and Decolonizing My Body ""In Seeking Sexual Freedom, Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah has carved herself out a niche in African sexology. An Important work of cultural anthropology, Sekyiamah chronicles these stories with insight, humor, and vulnerability."" --Chinelo Okparanta, author of Harry Sylvester Bird and Under the Udala Tree ""Sekyiamah takes us on a journey across Africa and its diaspora -- to Vodoun temples in Benin, kitchen parties in Tanzania, Candomblé ceremonies in Brazil -- searching for the sexual wisdom colonization attempted to erase. With the vulnerability and clarity of a seasoned feminist, she weaves together ancient practices and contemporary struggles. Sekyiamah shows that the path to liberation requires an unflinching look backward to move forward. Frank, fearless, and deeply personal, Seeking Sexual Freedom is Sekyiamah's invitation to join her in the revolutionary act of reclaiming pleasure."" --Francesca Ekwuyasi, author of Butter, Honey, Pig, Bread ""Nana Darkoa tells bold stories for women who need them. I adore the overlaps in this text between spirituality, geography, culture and sexuality. A carefully-researched book and conversation starter about pleasure, autonomy, as well as the function of history in creating new maps, this work will be eye-opening for many."" --Eloghosa Osunde, author of Vagabonds! and Necessary Fiction ""Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is officially our pleasure fairy godmother! In Seeking Sexual Freedom, she scours the African continent and its diaspora, learning about sexuality in all its forms, so that we can truly liberate ourselves. A generous and important book."" --Ayesha Harruna Attah, author of The Hundred Wells of Salaga ""Seeking Sexual Freedom anchors itself through the Akan word and symbol, Sankofa, reminding us that erotic agency is not only ancestral but also the conduit to futurity. This sacred text is an offering of sexual porosity that transcends colonial narratives--a challenge against dismemberment, a pathway to wholeness."" --Dr. Briona Simone Jones, Editor of the award-winning book, Mouths of Rain ""A stunning exploration of how pleasure, ritual, and inherited wisdom can transform the way we understand ourselves. This book travels across borders and generations to reveal how intimacy becomes a site of healing, resistance, and freedom. A fresh and necessary perspective on sexuality, tradition, and liberation."" --Oloni, author of The Big O

""Seeking Sexual Freedom strikes at the heart of what we all deserve -- full bodily autonomy, deep relationality, and reclamation of traditions that are rightfully ours. Today's global struggles against fascism will be strengthened by Sekyiamah's insights and brilliance. We cannot afford another century of radical movements that fail to account for people as sexual beings, this book will help us reimagine what is possible."" --Charlene A. Carruthers, author of Unapologetic ""Sekyiamah takes us on a journey across Africa and its diaspora -- to Vodoun temples in Benin, kitchen parties in Tanzania, Candomblé ceremonies in Brazil -- searching for the sexual wisdom colonization attempted to erase. With the vulnerability and clarity of a seasoned feminist, she weaves together ancient practices and contemporary struggles. Sekyiamah shows that the path to liberation requires an unflinching look backward to move forward. Frank, fearless, and deeply personal, Seeking Sexual Freedom is Sekyiamah's invitation to join her in the revolutionary act of reclaiming pleasure."" --Francesca Ekwuyasi, author of Butter, Honey, Pig, Bread ""Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is officially our pleasure fairy godmother! In Seeking Sexual Freedom, she scours the African continent and its diaspora, learning about sexuality in all its forms, so that we can truly liberate ourselves. A generous and important book."" --Ayesha Harruna Attah, author of The Hundred Wells of Salaga ""Seeking Sexual Freedom anchors itself through the Akan word and symbol, Sankofa, reminding us that erotic agency is not only ancestral but also the conduit to futurity. This sacred text is an offering of sexual porosity that transcends colonial narratives--a challenge against dismemberment, a pathway to wholeness."" --Dr. Briona Simone Jones, Editor of the award-winning book, Mouths of Rain ""A stunning exploration of how pleasure, ritual, and inherited wisdom can transform the way we understand ourselves. This book travels across borders and generations to reveal how intimacy becomes a site of healing, resistance, and freedom. A fresh and necessary perspective on sexuality, tradition, and liberation."" --Oloni, author of The Big O

""Seeking Sexual Freedom strikes at the heart of what we all deserve -- full bodily autonomy, deep relationality, and reclamation of traditions that are rightfully ours. Today's global struggles against fascism will be strengthened by Sekyiamah's insights and brilliance. We cannot afford another century of radical movements that fail to account for people as sexual beings, this book will help us reimagine what is possible."" --Charlene A. Carruthers, author of Unapologetic ""Sekyiamah takes us on a journey across Africa and its diaspora -- to Vodoun temples in Benin, kitchen parties in Tanzania, Candomblé ceremonies in Brazil -- searching for the sexual wisdom colonization attempted to erase. With the vulnerability and clarity of a seasoned feminist, she weaves together ancient practices and contemporary struggles. Sekyiamah shows that the path to liberation requires an unflinching look backward to move forward. Frank, fearless, and deeply personal, Seeking Sexual Freedom is Sekyiamah's invitation to join her in the revolutionary act of reclaiming pleasure."" --Francesca Ekwuyasi, author of Butter, Honey, Pig, Bread ""Nana Darkoa tells bold stories for women who need them. I adore the overlaps in this text between spirituality, geography, culture and sexuality. A carefully-researched book and conversation starter about pleasure, autonomy, as well as the function of history in creating new maps, this work will be eye-opening for many."" --Eloghosa Osunde, author of Vagabonds! and Necessary Fiction ""Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is officially our pleasure fairy godmother! In Seeking Sexual Freedom, she scours the African continent and its diaspora, learning about sexuality in all its forms, so that we can truly liberate ourselves. A generous and important book."" --Ayesha Harruna Attah, author of The Hundred Wells of Salaga ""Seeking Sexual Freedom anchors itself through the Akan word and symbol, Sankofa, reminding us that erotic agency is not only ancestral but also the conduit to futurity. This sacred text is an offering of sexual porosity that transcends colonial narratives--a challenge against dismemberment, a pathway to wholeness."" --Dr. Briona Simone Jones, Editor of the award-winning book, Mouths of Rain ""A stunning exploration of how pleasure, ritual, and inherited wisdom can transform the way we understand ourselves. This book travels across borders and generations to reveal how intimacy becomes a site of healing, resistance, and freedom. A fresh and necessary perspective on sexuality, tradition, and liberation."" --Oloni, author of The Big O

Author Information

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is the author of The Sex Lives of African Women and Seeking Sexual Freedom. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, CNN, Essence, and more. Her short stories have been published in It Wasn't Exactly Love and The Pot and Other Stories. She is the cofounder of the award-winning podcast and blog Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women.

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