Overview

A bold foray into African traditions around sexual pleasure and joy, with the personal goal of self-discovery and liberation, by one of Africa's preeminent feminists who 'is changing the way African women talk about sex' (Harper's Bazaar). While working on her first 'groundbreaking' (Ms. Magazine) book, The Sex Lives of African Women, acclaimed African feminist and activist Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah had access to the wildest dreams and spiciest realities of women from around the world. But so often, she noticed that something was holding these women 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 sex and pleasure, reclaiming African traditions in a quest to achieve sexual freedom. Organised in three parts, Sekyiamah first 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. The second part of the book asks us how we've lost our way, looking at the incursion of colonialism and western patriarchal norms into sexuality which has led to our warped ideals of beauty and shame, internalized racism, as well as state and interpersonal violence that stand in the way of sexual liberation. Finally, Sekyiamah shows that we can overcome these hurdles by returning to a more joyful and free sexual practice, using practical advice and prompts to chart our own journey.

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9780349703428

Table of Contents

Reviews

Extraordinarily dynamic . . . Here is a book like none you will have read before. -- Margaret Busby in the GUARDIAN on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN A vital treasure. -- Bolu Babalola on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN This is the intimate, insightful read that I didn't know I needed. Just brilliant. -- Dorothy Koomson on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN Fascinating. -- Bernardine Evaristo on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN Overflowing with candour, vulnerability, and juiciness, this collection of raw, tender stories that Sekyiamah has so lovingly gathered will upend all of your assumptions and stereotypes. -- Deesha Philyaw on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN

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 MOUTHS OF RAIN 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 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 Overflowing with candour, vulnerability, and juiciness, this collection of raw, tender stories that Sekyiamah has so lovingly gathered will upend all of your assumptions and stereotypes. -- Deesha Philyaw on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN Extraordinarily dynamic . . . Here is a book like none you will have read before. -- Margaret Busby in the GUARDIAN on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN A vital treasure. -- Bolu Babalola on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN This is the intimate, insightful read that I didn't know I needed. Just brilliant. -- Dorothy Koomson on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN Fascinating. -- Bernardine Evaristo on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN

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. She is co-founder and co-director of the Institute for Journalism and Social Change.

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