Responding to Myself

I recently wrote a piece for Democracy in Africa & The Continent, dismissing the argument that queerness is alien to Africa. In it, I briefly explored the treatment of queer sexualities in pre-colonial African societies across the continent and the birth of Africa as a heteronormative continent as a result of colonialism. I explained the role colonial powers - Britain in particular - played in overwriting queer sexualities and explored the legacy of this interference. Ultimately concluding that while queerness was not alien to Africa, queerphobia was. Contrary to popular opinion, the latter is the Western import. It is the thing around our neck, that threatens to choke the lifeblood of our Republics if we allow it. 

This is why I wrote this piece. I wrote it to confront and challenge the idea that queerness and queer people were 'unAfrican.' As a person who has spent her entire life being told that I am not African enough, not black enough, this argument rang particularly false. I know what it feels like to be denied a connection to your home, because of things you cannot control. No matter how hard you try. Now, I'm not going to equate being gay or queer to being an incredibly privileged child whose Africanness was denied because of her accent, experiences and presentation. I am not that naive. Yet, I cannot deny the feelings of frustration, alienation and hurt that inspired me to write this piece. Inspired me to say something; to remind everyone that they do not hold a monopoly on what it means to be African. Especially when what it means to be African flies in the very face of our history - the story of a people not yet ravaged by colonialism. I hoped that my article would give space to those struggling to embrace their identities - reminding them that they are African. I hoped that my article may persuade those to reconsider what it means to be African, in general. 

But is my piece capable of achieving this? In its construction, is my piece persuasive to those who don't already believe that queerness is a natural expression of humanity? Is my piece persuasive to those who aren't already sitting on the fence?

More importantly, does it even matter if queerness is African? Will attesting to this fact change minds? Or, perhaps, it was never about what it meant to be African. Instead, this was a smokescreen to mask the discomfort, if described charitably, some Africans feel towards queerness. I doubt this article does anything to quiet that discomfort. 

Although it contributes to the visibility of the queer community – subsequently re-contextualizing, normalising and legitimising their existence in society – it does not quiet that discomfort. Instead, people may find a new way to delegitimise the queer community. Instead of it being unAfrican, queerness is now a capitalistic ploy to sell more products. Or a neocolonial tool of the West. It's like playing whack-a-mole; each mole borne of a fundamental discomfort with queer sexualities and an attempt to justify this discomfort with history, politics, and international relations. Each mole a distraction from the real issue; the rights of the queer community.

Where does this leave us? Whacking moles?