... the other Black experience
"No peace = No sex" - Kenyan women go on a sex strike
Women's activist groups in Kenya have slapped their partners with a week-long sex ban in protest over the infighting plaguing the national unity government.
Here's some text swiped from Jezzy.
Will a week-long, sex strike among Kenyan women forestall bloodshed in the East African country?
Following Liberia's example, Kenya's Women's Development Organization has called for women to go on sex strike in protest of government unrest, hoping to forestall the bloodshed that wracked the country after last year's elections. Recently bickering has threatened the fragile coalition that formed only after 1,000 people were killed in power struggles. A statement, quoted by the AP, declares,
"The women of this country will not ... allow its political leadership to lead it back onto a slippery journey to ... violence and absolute chaos." They hope the week-long strike will result in talks between warring factions.
Says WDO's chairwoman, "We have looked at all issues which can bring people to talk and we have seen that sex is the answer...It does not know tribe, it does not have a (political) party and it happens in the lowest households." Adds Patricia Nyaundi, executive director of the Federation of Women Lawyers (Fida), to VOA, "Great decisions are made during pillow talk, so we are asking the two ladies at that intimate moment to ask their husbands: 'Darling can you do something for Kenya?'" Eleven women's groups are participating in the strike, which adds up to several thousand women. The group says they are paying prostitutes to strike, too. The movement got a boost when the Prime Minister's wife, Ida Odinga, joined the strike yesterday, saying, according to UPI, "If some women have decided, we have all decided."
Not shockingly, in a country in which polygamy is still legal, the strike's meeting with resistance. According to the BBC, "Our correspondent says some would argue that Kenyan men cannot even abstain for two days. Kenyan legislator David Musila told VOA:
"It is a shame. It is a shame that these women can make such a statement. First of all, in my view, it is un-African, and these are some of the things in Africa we don't talk openly about, sex in front of children, and so on. And therefore, I think they are misguided and in any case, who is going to supervise and see that the boycott is implemented? It is just rubbish."
The morality argument is not limited to men; says the vice chairwoman of Maendeleo ya Wanawake, Rahab Muiu "As the largest women's organization in the country, we strongly believe in family values and cannot be associated with such foul utterances which can only break families,"
We imagine plenty of feminists could find the strike problematic for very different reasons. What's one thing in Lysistrata is quite another in 2009 - but then, so is polygamy and disenfranchisement. As Anna put it to me, "If it works, well, that's good. But it makes me sad for mankind - with an emphasis on man."
Here's some text swiped from Jezzy.
Will a week-long, sex strike among Kenyan women forestall bloodshed in the East African country?
Following Liberia's example, Kenya's Women's Development Organization has called for women to go on sex strike in protest of government unrest, hoping to forestall the bloodshed that wracked the country after last year's elections. Recently bickering has threatened the fragile coalition that formed only after 1,000 people were killed in power struggles. A statement, quoted by the AP, declares,
"The women of this country will not ... allow its political leadership to lead it back onto a slippery journey to ... violence and absolute chaos." They hope the week-long strike will result in talks between warring factions.
Says WDO's chairwoman, "We have looked at all issues which can bring people to talk and we have seen that sex is the answer...It does not know tribe, it does not have a (political) party and it happens in the lowest households." Adds Patricia Nyaundi, executive director of the Federation of Women Lawyers (Fida), to VOA, "Great decisions are made during pillow talk, so we are asking the two ladies at that intimate moment to ask their husbands: 'Darling can you do something for Kenya?'" Eleven women's groups are participating in the strike, which adds up to several thousand women. The group says they are paying prostitutes to strike, too. The movement got a boost when the Prime Minister's wife, Ida Odinga, joined the strike yesterday, saying, according to UPI, "If some women have decided, we have all decided."
Not shockingly, in a country in which polygamy is still legal, the strike's meeting with resistance. According to the BBC, "Our correspondent says some would argue that Kenyan men cannot even abstain for two days. Kenyan legislator David Musila told VOA:
"It is a shame. It is a shame that these women can make such a statement. First of all, in my view, it is un-African, and these are some of the things in Africa we don't talk openly about, sex in front of children, and so on. And therefore, I think they are misguided and in any case, who is going to supervise and see that the boycott is implemented? It is just rubbish."
The morality argument is not limited to men; says the vice chairwoman of Maendeleo ya Wanawake, Rahab Muiu "As the largest women's organization in the country, we strongly believe in family values and cannot be associated with such foul utterances which can only break families,"
We imagine plenty of feminists could find the strike problematic for very different reasons. What's one thing in Lysistrata is quite another in 2009 - but then, so is polygamy and disenfranchisement. As Anna put it to me, "If it works, well, that's good. But it makes me sad for mankind - with an emphasis on man."
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by foxtrot oscar on -
I'm all for empowerment but this one...
Hmm... can you say "can of worms"?
Anyway, I thought this posed an interesting contrast to the other forms of female protest/solidarity that I've posted other threads about here.
As for the "it is un-African..." that made my laugh out loud and my heart sink simultanously.
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Permalink Reply by Obsidian on -
This statement had me laughing:
The morality argument is not limited to men; says the vice chairwoman of Maendeleo ya Wanawake, Rahab Muiu "As the largest women's organization in the country, we strongly believe in family values and cannot be associated with such foul utterances which can only break families,"
Hey! If it wasn't for the sex there wouldn't be any family in the first place! My cunt is not dirty and it doesn't break apart families - it creates them! *ahem* ... fake me out women's group "we believe in family values" = "we believe in getting owned by men" silly creatures ...
I think it is a bold move to withhold sex and it works within the power play of the culture. Sure it may rub people the wrong way and with the men involved might stray or resort to rape to getting what they want, but truthfully women have been controlling men through sex since forever as the cunt is a powerful weapon. I say it's great that they are using the cunt as a weapon for peace and to end destruction of life rather than for personal gain or money (women are so damned powerful and that's why men try so hard to control us).
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Permalink Reply by Madamoiselle De Sade on -
Obsidian said:This statement had me laughing:
The morality argument is not limited to men; says the vice chairwoman of Maendeleo ya Wanawake, Rahab Muiu "As the largest women's organization in the country, we strongly believe in family values and cannot be associated with such foul utterances which can only break families,"
Hey! If it wasn't for the sex there wouldn't be any family in the first place! My cunt is not dirty and it doesn't break apart families - it creates them! *ahem* ... fake me out women's group "we believe in family values" = "we believe in getting owned by men" silly creatures ...
I think it is a bold move to withhold sex and it works within the power play of the culture. Sure it may rub people the wrong way and with the men involved might stray or resort to rape to getting what they want, but truthfully women have been controlling men through sex since forever as the cunt is a powerful weapon. I say it's great that they are using the cunt as a weapon for peace and to end destruction of life rather than for personal gain or money (women are so damned powerful and that's why men try so hard to control us).
It is bold.
I only know of this tactic from mythology.
Women HAVE been controlling men through sex forever, sex does kinda run the world. Now the world gets shut down.
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Permalink Reply by Dj Complex on -
That sucks for them.....
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Permalink Reply by kifaru on -
I think this is a terribly foolish move. The fact that it's in international media plays into stereotypes of africans being sexually ravenous. We can't make rational decisions without being deprived of sex because we need it so bad? This is a well meaning but misguided strategy.
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Permalink Reply by Obsidian on
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^^^
So in other words ... A very peaceful means of protest to end violence should not be practiced because it could embarrass Black people in other places of the world because White people think Black people are sexually voracious?
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Permalink Reply by Madamoiselle De Sade on
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kifaru said:I think this is a terribly foolish move. The fact that it's in international media plays into stereotypes of africans being sexually ravenous. We can't make rational decisions without being deprived of sex because we need it so bad? This is a well meaning but misguided strategy.
You do know that things like this have happened all over history, particularly in ancient Greece?
Don't get caught up in what white people believe about Africans- this is about women taking it into their own hands to put an end to the war in a peaceful manner using the only tool they have (unfortunately).
Besides all that, this isn't even an issue that white people are affected by so **** what some of them think about black sexuality. Why are we concerning ourselves with that they think about us when there's something that needs to be done? It's silly to remain frozen because we're afraid of their judgment.
And unfortunately, men DO need sex that badly and seldom listen(ed) to the opinions of women unless sex was involved. Worked for Lesbos. Women have had (and still do) NO say unless they pull out the weaponry we have especially in areas of the world when women aren't afforded much power in the direction of their own lives.
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Permalink Reply by CocoaPuss Zine on -
i'm not really sure what to think about all of this. i think some men would not even "allow" their women to be a part of this. i don't want to say that african men are like sex savages but the elders are probably like "what the hell? this is some bullshit" and women are seriously gonna be raped over that. i lived in kenya for awhile a few years ago and married an east african (and then divorced his punk ass) and a lot of things are still very traditional. men don't really like to see women in charge of anything and are quick to say it.
on the other hand, times are changing and younger kenyans are not as traditional so for them, they might be down with this. it's hard to know if a sex ban reinforces the stereotypes that white people have about africans but at the same time, if things need to get done, then so what. and most people are probably not even going to hear about this anyway and their opinions probably won't be affected if they did. there are always going to be stereotypes about african people.
women do control the sex though. everyone knows that. but men are physically stronger and can take it.
it's interesting that someone had to pay the prostitutes to not have sex with men for this week.
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Permalink Reply by kifaru on
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I didn't say white people. I mean any non-africans. Yes we do need to manage people perception of us because we are vulnerable.
Obsidian said:^^^
So in other words ... A very peaceful means of protest to end violence should not be practiced because it could embarrass Black people in other places of the world because White people think Black people are sexually voracious?
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Permalink Reply by CocoaPuss Zine on
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i disagree.
kifaru said:I didn't say white people. I mean any non-africans. Yes we do need to manage people perception of us because we are vulnerable.
Obsidian said:^^^
So in other words ... A very peaceful means of protest to end violence should not be practiced because it could embarrass Black people in other places of the world because White people think Black people are sexually voracious?
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Permalink Reply by Obsidian on
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I don't understand? Why are we so vulnerable as to give a damn how the rest of the world pictures us. We should only care about each other and right now these women need our support for doing what they can to end violence in their country - their sons and brothers and other men in their lives dying for stupidity. If it takes denial of sex to their husbands and lovers and johns to communicate to them that their actions are fucking stupid, then fuck the rest of the world and their opinions. Vulnerability is allowing ourselves to care about strangers who will never ever have our best interests at heart.
Are we really that vulnerable? I don't feel vulnerable at all. In fact I feel pretty fucking powerful. :D:D:D:D:D
kifaru said:I didn't say white people. I mean any non-africans. Yes we do need to manage people perception of us because we are vulnerable.
Obsidian said:^^^
So in other words ... A very peaceful means of protest to end violence should not be practiced because it could embarrass Black people in other places of the world because White people think Black people are sexually voracious?
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Permalink Reply by kifaru on
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I do support those women. I disagree with their methods.
As to why we should care about other people's perception of us, I think you would have to look to history to see things from my perspective. Make no mistake, when people or even polities can take advantage of others they often do. The impetus for such abuse is perception. Whether you can see it or not the Chinese are now moving into Africa and are slowly but surely setting themselves up as an elite class in almost all areas of commerce where they set up shop. There is not one African country, not one that can resist any well funded state from setting up any sort of rapacious enterprise in their territory. This is due to many factors upto and including poverty and lack of military might. Now it's the chinese. Who will come in next? The chinese are not doing the thigs they are doing on the continent because of altruism they are doing it to get markets and land. They are just the next in a long line of peoples who because they view africa as weak and backward feel they have to right to take from it and not give back.
Someone posted a video of the rapper K'naan and he talked about the Somalis' perception of the Somali "pirates". He spoke of illegal fishing and illegal dumping in the Somalia's territorial waters. I did some research and almost every african country has this problem. The wealth of Africa's seas is being transported to Europe and Asia and those people are blatantly disregarding international laws and treaties because the nations of Africa for the most part lack the resources to enforce those treaties.
Perception does matter and it behooves us to manage it.
Obsidian said:I don't understand? Why are we so vulnerable as to give a damn how the rest of the world pictures us. We should only care about each other and right now these women need our support for doing what they can to end
violence in their country - their sons and brothers and other men in
their lives dying for stupidity. If it takes denial of sex to their
husbands and lovers and johns to communicate to them that their actions
are fucking stupid, then fuck the rest of the world and their opinions.
Vulnerability is allowing ourselves to care about strangers who will
never ever have our best interests at heart.
Are we really that vulnerable? I don't feel vulnerable at all. In fact I feel pretty fucking powerful. :D:D:D:D:D
kifaru said:I didn't say white people. I mean any non-africans. Yes we do need to manage people perception of us because we are vulnerable.
Obsidian said:^^^
So in other words ... A very peaceful means of protest to end violence should not be practiced because it could embarrass Black people in
other places of the world because White people think Black people are
sexually voracious?
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