days ago delivered a lecture titled "Post-
colonial sexual identity and orientation in
Nigeria" at Free University in Berlin, Germany
where he said homosexuality is very African
as much as it is Nigerian. Below is an extract
from his paper:
Even though Nigeria has recently seen a
more active conversation around the
issue of sexuality and gender, these
conversations are played out on the
premise of sentiments, morality, religion
and assumptions rather than on facts.
But it is facts and not assumption that
can put things into perspective.
The argument against homosexuality in
Nigeria has been on the premise that it
is "un-African" and hence not part of
our culture. The other premise used is
that since it is not part of our culture,
therefore it is "un-biblical".
Since the introduction of modern religion into
Africa, there has been confusion between the
real African identity vs enforced identity.
This confusion has also found its way into the
discourse around cultural identity. The
modern understanding of what really is an
"African culture" has created a basis for
identity misunderstanding not just in Nigeria,
but the whole of Africa.
It was not only religion that played a role in
the misconstruction of "African Culture" in
the 21st century. With the coming of
colonizing, African identities were
systematically washed away. Africans were
made to believe through western education,
politics and religion that anything African is
not fit for purpose and therefore demonized
in most of the cases.
However, unlike culture, identity is more on a
personal individualist level. Identity could be
strongly interwoven with culture.
I remembered when I first came to the United
Kingdom, as a Nigerian. There are certain
things in my culture that were not permitted
within the English culture. For example, the
English could not understand why I have to
eat certain food with my fingers.
However, that lack of cultural understanding
has not taken away from me my gender
identity as a man nor has it eroded my sexual
identity as a gay man.
Therefore, how then does the argument used
by Nigerian religious and political class as
regards sexuality and gender fit into the
actualization of fundamental human rights for
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT)
people?
Prior to colonization, there are evidences to
prove that Africa was never a
"heteronomative" society. In "African
Sexualities: A Reader" Sylvia Tamale argues:
"African sexuality lies in ancient histories that
live through girot, ighyuwas, imbongies,
jellies, igawens, guewels".
As a young child with deep interest in my
culture, I was really fascinated at the
eloquences with which histories are passed
on from generation to generations in Africa
through the power of poetry and oration.
I remembered in 2005, as part of my
research in sexuality and sexual identity, I
came across the famous word "Adodi". This
translates as "anus fucker". The fact that there
is a language for sexual behaviour explains
that there are indeed people that are
considered as such.
Aside from that, many of African arts (it is
important to note here that while Africans
were never seen as writers, the one fact that
can never be taken away from us is that fact
that we are artist. We tell the story of our
lives through our sculpture, painting and
drawing), have shown the celebration of same
sexual relationship before the colonization of
the continent.
African arts has had huge influence on the
Greek art and even more so the roman arts.
These arts that not only promote but
celebrate sexuality has African culture and
identity at its core.
From Igbo Ukwu, to Benin and Ife art,
Nigerian art works celebrate the existence of
same sexual relationship, not as seen as
"homosexuality" in modern terms, but as a
process of nurturing the acceptance of
dualism of sexuality.
In religious setting, most Nigerian gods
actually have dual sexes. Take for example
ESU who is neither man nor woman, male of
female. Shango, the god of thunder is dressed
as transvestites, wearing skirts with earrings
on both ears and braided hair. Obatala,
though a male god is subtle, emotional and
sexual.
Even more interesting are the female gods.
Oya the goddess of the ocean and Yemoja the
mermaid are said to have used their sexuality
to conquer men. They were not just
seductive, but they exhibited a level of
romantic affinity for each other.
Then the question will be, what happened?
Ben Anderson in "The Politics of
Homosexuality in Africa" examined the
written literature of colonial observation of
same sexual relationship in Africa.
According to him, examples of famous
western sexuality historians like Staples,
Davies and Whitten tend to disregard pre-
colonial homosexuality in Africa as a forced,
accidental 'phase' rather than a cognitive
choice".
Anderson noted that in an article in 1982,
Lamb argued, "it is curious by Western
standards that homosexuality in Africa is
virtually unknown." He stated further that
"Africa's traditional is rigidly heterosexual".
As a student of African sexuality and gender
identity, I know this is not true. I am not
alone in my argument, Dr. C. Otutubikey
Izugbara in a paper titled "Patriarchal
Ideology and Discourses of Sexuality in
Nigeria" explained that "evidence, indeed
suggests that, in many cases, homosexual
practices, while not always explicitly
discussed or identified as such in larger
public imaginary were often treated with
more tolerance in pre-colonial Nigeria than
during and after colonial period".
In the book "The origins and Role of Same Sex
Relations in Human Societies" James Neil
buttressed my earlier assertion that in Nigeria
homosexuality is rooted in our traditional
religious believe. He stated, "members of the
a spirit possession cult among the Hausa in
northern Nigeria practices cross-dressing and
take the passive role in homosexual
intercourse".
Lyn Ossome in her contribution to Queer
African Reader edited by Sokari Ekine and
Hakima Abbas further dismissed the perceived
westernization of homosexuality on the
continent of Africa. In a contribution, she
argued that the notion that "there is no
homosexuality in Africa" is a false claim
"often accompanied by the similarity insidious
accusation that homosexuality is a 'western
perversion' imposed upon or adopted by
African population".
In the book "The construction of
Homosexuality" Greenburg documented the
existence of same sexual relationship in
diverse African communities including
Nigeria. Also Davis and co in "The Cross-
Cultural Study of Human Sexuality. Annual
review of Anthropology" argued that "a wide
variety of homosexual behaviour is reported",
they also documented "the use of artificial
phalli" between two women as a
"compensation for rare heterosexual
intercourse".
Two notable anthropologists have not only
documented behaviours, but they have also
shown acceptance even to the level of
marriage. First of such is William Naphy in
his well-written book "Born to be Gay". In it,
Naphy captured the process of same gender
marriage with the medium of paying bride
price. He claimed, "it is clear that customs
involving woman-woman 'marriages" (in which
case bride-price and dowries may exchange
hands) is extensive". He dismissed argument
against same sex relations in Africa as
'ludicrous and to suggest that a practice
which is so widespread and yet differently
constructed is anything but indigenous. Even
more so Naphy considered any argument by
white Europeans against the exhibition of
same sex relations between Africans as
racism.
Another interesting take on beyond sexual
behaviour to actual exhibition of relationship
is 'Boy wives ad female husband'. According
to Anderson, this book in its research "also
effectively demonstrates the existence of
same sex love before the arrival of the white
settlers"
But let us for a second agree with the
proposition of Staples that exhibition of same
sexual behaviour in pre-colonial Nigeria was a
phase. The question we then have to ask is:
where did they learn this phase? Who and
what influenced the occurrence of this phase
among what the western academia will refer
as "primitive" people.
There are possibly two answers to these
questions. Its is either we argue that Africans
are of lesser human and therefore happened
to experiment occasional sexuality, or that
actually, homosexuality like every other
human traits is inherent in all people
irrespective of race, gender, or age.
If you agree with me that homosexuality is
very African as much as it is Nigerian, then
the argument put forward by both the
western and the African opposition to
homosexual behaviour is flawed.
Based on the above explanation and
argument, I will say that homosexuality is
well rooted in the core of Nigerian society
and identity
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