Freedom: Volume 2

Queer in an African Worldsense: The Spirituality of Sexuality in Nigeria and South Africa

By Toluwani Roberts

Ph.D. Student, The University of Texas at Austin

Published in Freedom: Volume 2

Keywords

queer, LGBT, radical African feminism, worldsense, Indigenous Africa, reproduction, same-gender desire, gender fluidity

Abstract

The globalization of queer thought and LGBT pride has resulted in socio-political power struggles to define authentic African traditions and identities. This paper explores what Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí terms an African “worldsense” in which the sacred and secular are thought together, and sexuality becomes a spiritual matter. Grounded in Black Queer Studies and radical African feminist thought, I examine woman-woman marriage in Igboland and the lived experiences of Zulu lesbian sangoma Nkuzi Zandile Nkabinde, and Igbo lesbian author, Unoma Azuah, as a queering of heteronormativity, sexuality, and gender. I conduct a close reading of their memoirs, ethnographic texts, and the novel, Efuru, by Flora Nwapa to argue that same-gender union and gender fluidity are not simply a matter of individual identity or desire, but a dynamic interplay of ancestry, customs, divination, and destiny. I contribute to scholarship that debunks the myth that queerness is un-African, but rather than define queerness in African terms, I explore how Indigenous African practices can disrupt and reframe global understandings of queerness itself. Ultimately, this paper challenges queer theorists to engage more deeply with African epistemologies that position sexuality and gender. 

Digital Object Identifier

DOI: https://DOI.org/10.65373/PPZD3112 

 

Download PDF