Reading between the lines: A review of Dark Juices and Afrodisiacs: Erotic Diaries Vol 1

abstract

Dark Juices and Afrodisiacs: Erotic Diaries Vol 1 kicks in the little opened door of feminist erotica written by Lesbian, Bisexual, Queer, Trans* (LBQT*) and non-binary African women and people. An offering of HOLAAfrica! which continues to be an important space for sex-positive expression and erotic exploration by and with African women and LBQT*/Non-binary people, invite us to imagine, remember and explore both our surface and deeper lying feelings and ideas of sex and sexuality in this publication. This review is an invitation to a dialogue between the offerings contained in Dark Juices and Afrodisiacs: Erotic Diaries Vol 1 and the ideas of feminist thinker and writer on the erotic, Audre Lorde who provokes, “This is one reason why the erotic is so feared, and so often relegated to the bedroom alone, when it is recognised at all. For once we begin to feel deeply all the aspects of our lives, we begin to demand from ourselves and from our life-pursuits that they feel in accordance with that joy which we know ourselves to be capable of“ (Lorde, 1984/2007:57). I pose the questions: have we or can we even expand our queer and feminist ideas of the erotic beyond our bedrooms when in fact our very bedrooms remain battlefields for pleasure over pain? How are queer imaginations and memories of sex and sensuality pushing back against normative ideas of Black and African women and queer people’s bodies, and how is this too, part of an emancipatory erotic? Why do we need more eroticism in our feminist movements, what can they look like, how can they be more inclusive of different bodies/politics/iterations of sex, sensuality, lust and desire?

key words:

• erotic
• Audre Lorde
• queer
• feminist
• LBQT* (Lesbian Bisexual Queer Trans*)

Notes

1 Sylvia Tamale is reknown for her contribution to critical feminist thought on African sexualities and queer realities. She writes about the inextricability of sexuality from all other aspects of our lives, and for African women in particular, how our continued subordination lies in the control and suppression of our sexuality and sexual agency by culture, state and society. In her article ‘Eroticism, sensuality and ‘women’s secrets’ among the Baganda: A critical analysis’ (2020) she reflects on Lorde’s ‘The erotic as power’ (1984/2007) as an important contribution to women’s fight against the oppression of heteropatriarchy.

2 Charmaine Pereira reflects on Patricia Mcfadden’s essay ‘Sexual pleasure as feminist choice’, and challenges some claims and ideas that McFadden shared around power and sex. Pereira importantly introduces the need to not consider “pleasure” and “choice” in a vacuum when engaging on the perceptions of African women’s sexuality, but that “desire”, “intimacy” and “reciprocity” are just as essential elements and requirements when exploring sex and power (Pereria, 2003:62). Pereira further complicates ideas around sex and power, challenging Mcfadden’s generalisation of African women’s sexuality, introducing the complexity and subjectivity of sex, power and pleasure, especially in the African context that is still being researched and documented.

3 Patricia McFadden in her article ‘Sexual pleasure as feminist choice’ (2003), highlights the absence of pleasure and choice as a contentious issue when investigating the sexuality of women in general and African women in particular. McFadden explores the interplay of power, pleasure, choice and their impact on the sexual realities of African women. McFadden writes about ‘socio-sexual anxiety’ and reflects on the effect that this phenomenon has, not just in the wider world, but also within feminist and women’s rights spaces that exist in conservative and heterosexist realities.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sheena Gimase Magenya

SHEENA GIMASE MAGENYA is a queer African feminist and writer who is interested in the relationship between sex, sexuality and pleasure and power in the lives of African women and LBQT people. She holds a Master’s in Creative Writing from the University of the Witwatersrand (2018) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Psychology from the University of Namibia (2008). Sheena has over 10 years of working experience in social justice movements and organisations using various feminist approaches to address women and girl's rights as well as the rights of LGBTIQA people. Sheena lives in Kenya with her son and a curious rotation of stray cats. Email: [email protected]