Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah on African Feminism and Sexual Freedom

Reclaiming the Narrative: Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah on Sankofa and African Sexual Freedom

In an era of intensifying global backlash against bodily autonomy and human rights, activists are often forced into a defensive posture, reacting to threats in real-time with little room for reflection. However, African feminist writer and activist Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah proposes a different approach. Rather than viewing current struggles as isolated battles against the state, Sekyiamah frames the colonial project as an “interruption” of a much longer history of African agency.

Through her work and her book, Seeking Sexual Freedom, Sekyiamah advocates for a process of decolonial reclamation. By drawing on ancestral knowledge and documenting lived experiences, she argues that movements can move beyond mere survival and toward the reimagining of their own futures.

The Power of Sankofa: Learning from the Past to Build the Future

At the heart of Sekyiamah’s philosophy is Sankofa, an Akan principle from Ghana. Loosely translated as “go back and get it,” Sankofa is the practice of learning from the past to inform the future. For Sekyiamah, this is not merely a cultural nod but a foundational strategy for liberation.

She views the act of building an archive—documenting the sex, sexuality, and pleasure of African women—as a deeply political act. This documentation serves two primary purposes:

• Countering Colonial Erasure: It challenges the colonial narrative that African societies lacked histories of resistance or sophisticated understandings of bodily autonomy.
• Providing a Foundation: By recording these histories, current activists ensure that future movements have a “floor to stand on, rather than a void to fill,” preventing the need to constantly reinvent the wheel of resistance.

Reframing Colonialism as an “Interruption”

One of the most significant shifts in Sekyiamah’s approach is the terminology used to describe the colonial legacy. She suggests that when movements view the colonial project as a permanent state, their organizing becomes inherently defensive. By instead naming it as an “interruption,” activists reclaim the timeline.

“Movements should frame their work as a continuation of a much older, eons-long story of African agency and bodily autonomy. This shifts the goal from ‘protesting the state’ to ‘reimagining our realities and futures.'”

This shift allows organizers to operate from a place of infinite possibility rather than restriction, viewing their current work as the restoration of a stolen autonomy rather than the request for new rights.

Recovering Suppressed Traditions and Complexities

The colonial mindset introduced puritanical views on sex and gender that often displaced more expansive indigenous practices. Sekyiamah points to specific examples where traditional African societies held more nuanced views of sexuality than the systems that replaced them.

The Xarxar of Senegal

In Senegal, the Xarxar (pronounced ‘hah’) was a traditional practice where griots led chants before wedding ceremonies. These chants allowed individuals to sing about their sexual desires, ensuring people learned about sex before marriage. Today, these ceremonies are often criticized as unIslamic or have been muted into milder versions that occur only after marriage.

African Traditional Religions (ATRs)

Sekyiamah notes that while popular culture and colonial religious frameworks often portrayed African Traditional Religions as “demonic,” her research confirms that ATRs historically held space for greater complexity regarding gender and sexuality.

Dismantling Artificial Borders

Beyond the internal struggle against puritanical norms, Sekyiamah emphasizes the need to dismantle the “artificial silos” created by colonial infrastructure. The language barriers between Anglophone and Francophone Africa continue to divide movements, despite deep-rooted indigenous connections.

As an example, she cites the Ewe language, which is spoken across Ghana, Togo, and Benin. This linguistic thread serves as a reminder that indigenous connections predate colonial borders and will outlast them, suggesting that feminist and liberation movements must actively work to bridge these colonial divides.

Tangible Wins and the Path Forward

Despite the challenges, Sekyiamah finds hope in “cracks” within existing systems. She highlights the success of trans people in Benin who have successfully navigated the state to change gender markers on national IDs as a monumental win. For Sekyiamah, these moments of tangible change are proof that the future being built is already arriving.

To support this transition, she continues to co-organize sex-positive festivals in Ghana, Kenya, and Benin, creating “liberated zones” where individuals can speak their truths safely while working to shift the broader societal landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main goal of Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah’s work?

Her goal is to co-create community spaces where African women can document and share their experiences of sex, sexuality, and pleasure, thereby building a collective archive that challenges colonial erasure.

How does the concept of Sankofa apply to modern activism?

Sankofa encourages activists to look back at ancestral practices and histories of resistance to ensure they are building on existing foundations rather than starting from scratch.

What is a “liberated zone” in the context of this work?

Liberated zones are safe, community-led spaces—such as the sex-positive festivals Sekyiamah organizes—where people can express their identities and truths without the risks associated with the broader political or social landscape.