Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah

The Sex Lives of African Women uniquely amplifies individual women from across the African continent and its global diaspora, as they speak of their diverse experiences of sex, sexualities and relationships. Many of the women who tell their stories in this collection recall the journeys they have travelled in order to own their own sexualities. They do this by grappling with experiences of child sexual abuse, resisting the religious edicts of their childhood, and by asserting their sexual power. From finding queer community in Egypt to living a polyamorous life in Senegal to understanding the intersectionality of religion and pleasure in Cameroon to choosing to leave relationships that no longer serve them, these narratives are as individual and illuminating as the women who share them. The Sex Lives of African Women provides a deep insight into women's quest for freedom, highlights the complex tapestry of African women's sexuality, and bestows upon all women inspirational examples to live a truly liberated life.

The Sex Lives of African Women

Sex Lives of African Women

Des femmes de tout le continent africain et de sa diaspora mondiale évoquent leur expérience du sexe et des relations amoureuses. Des paroles rares, un éclairage crucial sur la quête de liberté sexuelle des femmes africaines dans le monde. Depuis plus de dix ans, Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah parle de sexe avec des femmes africaines de tous horizons. Dans un monde où les femmes noires, qu'elles soient du continent ou afro-descendantes, ont rarement accès à une véritable éducation sexuelle, et où la société leur répète qu'elles doivent se plier à des normes, parler de sexualité en public est un acte politique fort. Obligation du mariage hétérosexuel, interdiction de certaines pratiques, contrôle du choix des femmes en cas de grossesse non désirée, violences physiques –; les diktats de la religion et du patriarcat sont nombreux. Affirmer alors sa sexualité relève d'un combat au long cours. Dans cet ouvrage, une trentaine de femmes issues du continent et de sa diaspora racontent leurs histoires intimes et sexuelles à Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah. Qu'il s'agisse d'assumer une vie polyamoureuse au Sénégal, de trouver une communauté queer en Égypte, de concilier religion et plaisir au Cameroun, ou de retrouver son intégrité par l'abstinence aux États-Unis, ces récits révèlent le chemin de chaque femme vers sa propre sexualité. Un livre nécessaire, où les femmes se confrontent aux injonctions de la société, les questionnent pour mieux leur résister, et conquérir leur liberté sexuelle.

La vie sexuelle des femmes africaines

«Un libro come non ne avete mai letti.» The Guardian «Toccante, ribelle, pieno di allegria.» The Economist «Affascinante.» Bernardine Evaristo TRA I LIBRI MIGLIORI DEL 2021SECONDO L’ECONOMIST Nel corso di una serie di interviste condotte tra il 2015 e il 2020, la giornalista e attivista Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah ha raccolto le testimonianze di trentuno donne africane, di età compresa tra i ventuno e i settantuno anni, che hanno coraggiosamente scelto di mettere a nudo la propria vita intima e di raccontare senza filtri la propria relazione con il sesso. Dai loro racconti è nato questo libro, che ci apre le porte di un mondo sorprendentemente simile al nostro, dove più di ogni altro aspetto emerge la straordinaria diversità dei modi in cui ogni donna vede sé stessa: cisgender, femme, transessuale, eterosessuale o pansessuale, per esempio. Le storie di queste donne sono insomma le nostre storie: ci parlano dell’esigenza di dare libera espressione al corpo e alle pulsioni, dell’importanza di prendersi cura di sé per guarire da un passato troppo doloroso, della volontà di imparare ad affermare il proprio potere sessuale. Capace di inquadrare le loro esperienze in una visione aperta, accogliente e positiva, Sekyiamah esplora le sfaccettature dell’amore e del desiderio, e il modo in cui amore e desiderio inevitabilmente definiscono chi siamo. Dall’esperienza di una comunità omosessuale in Egitto nel bel mezzo di una rivoluzione a quella di una famiglia poliamorosa in Senegal, fino al rapporto tra religione e piacere in Camerun, La vita sessuale delle donne africane celebra la libertà e la gioia di vivere secondo la propria natura.

La vita sessuale delle donne africane

The First Ten Years of the African Women's Development Fund

Creating Spaces & Amplifying Voices

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.

African Rites, Rituals, and Sankofa in the Bedroom

Seeking Sexual Freedom

Conversations with Inspirational African Women

Women Leading Africa

April 2008-March 2009

Experiences in the Blog-sphere

'A stunning exploration of how pleasure, ritual and inherited wisdom can transform the way we understand ourselves' Oloni 'Eye-opening' Eloghosa Osunde 'This book will help us reimagine what is possible' Charlene A. Curruthers A bold foray into self-discovery, sexual pleasure and African traditions from the acclaimed author of The Sex Lives of African Women. On her quest for sexual liberation, preeminent feminist Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah has heard the wildest dreams and spiciest realities of women around the world. But so often, something holds these women back from achieving full, unfettered freedom. Through sankofa, learning from the past to inform the future, Sekyiamah seeks to reclaim a more joyful and free sexual practice. Travelling from Senegal to Tanzania and beyond, Sekyiamah trains with gurus, witches and aunties-guides through puberty rites and marital training-and explores the spiritual, fluid nature of traditional African religions. Embracing these age-old practices and questioning how we've come to lose them, Sekyiamah challenges our warped ideals of beauty, shame, internalised racism and violence to lead us on our own personal journeys to rediscover sexual freedom through practical advice and prompts. Part-manifesto, part-travelogue, part-workbook, Seeking Sexual Freedom is the powerful and bold call to joy and liberation that women of all backgrounds need today. 'Sekyiamah is officially our pleasure fairy godmother!' Ayesha Harruna Attah 'Intimate and radical' Francesca Ekwuyasi 'An important work of cultural anthropology' Chinelo Okparanta

African Rites, Rituals and Sankofa in the Bedroom

The Sex Lives of African Women uniquely amplifies individual women from across the African continent and its global diaspora, as they speak of their diverse experiences of sex, sexualities and relationships. Many of the women who tell their stories in this collection recall the journeys they have travelled in order to own their own sexualities. They do this by grappling with experiences of child sexual abuse, resisting the religious edicts of their childhood, and by asserting their sexual power. From finding queer community in Egypt to living a polyamorous life in Senegal to understanding the intersectionality of religion and pleasure in Cameroon to choosing to leave relationships that no longer serve them, these narratives are as individual and illuminating as the women who share them.The Sex Lives of African Women provides a deep insight into women's quest for freedom, highlights the complex tapestry of African women's sexuality, and bestows upon all women inspirational examples to live a truly liberated life.

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah

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