Unravelling the Silences of Black Sexualities

The silence imposed on black bodies from the advent of colonialism to the present era of globalisation has several histories, impacts and cultural connotations. This article looks at how African sexuality was central to the colonialist agenda and its subsequent effects on African nations. This perspective addresses the violence of various forms of silencing visited on black sexuality both within the context of colonialism and within processes of decolonisation. It then offers a critique of current discourses of sexuality in Africa and, finally, it presents brief scenes of sexuality in the disparate contexts of South Africa and Nigeria.