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University of Ibadan University of Ibadanseptember 2012 SEXUAL RIGHTS ADVOCACY IN SELECTED AFRICAN FICTION BY IFEYINWA GENEVIEVE OKOLO B.A. Ed. HONS (Nigeria), M.A. English (Literature) (Ibadan) A Thesis in the Department of English, Submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY of the UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN UNIVERSITY OF IBADANSEPTEMBER 2012 DEDICATION To God, the One who gives songs in the night; Dad, God‘s masterpiece; and Mum, God‘s touch of love and gentleness. UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN ii CERTIFICATION I certify that this work was carried out by Miss I.G. Okolo in the Department of English, University of Ibadan ………………………………………………………….. Supervisor R.O. Oriaku B.A. (Benin), M.A., Ph.D. (Ibadan) Senior Lecturer, Department of English, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN iii ABSTRACT Victimhood, in sexuality discourses in African literature, has, over time, become attached only to women while men have been presented as perpetrators. This perception has dominated feminist and masculinist studies, with little attention paid to men‘s victimisation and sexual rights advocacy. This study, therefore, investigates the representation of sexual rights in African fiction to ascertain African writers‘ responses to these rights. This is in an attempt to show that all individuals have sexual rights, can be victimised in given contexts which are capable of defining/redefining their Otherness, and can seek or gain liberation. The study applies aspects of the Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalytic theories which account for sexuality, otherness and the suffering generated in the clash of the self with the ―Big Other‖. Ten texts – Nawal El Saadawi‘s Woman at Point Zero, Two Women in One, She Has No Place in Paradise and God Dies by the Nile, Calixthe Beyala‘s Your Name Shall Be Tanga, Diane Case‘s Toasted Penis and Cheese, Yvonne Vera‘s Without a Name, J.M. Coetzee‘s Disgrace, Chris Abani‘s Becoming Abigail and Jude Dibia‘s Walking with Shadows – are purposively selected for analyses. The texts are subjected to literary and critical analyses to examine the contexts of sexual rights violation of the self by the ―Big Other‖, the victimisation generated by this violation, and the writers‘ contrived solutions to eliminate it. All the texts share a common denominator – sexual violence and its attendant psychological trauma and physical damages – but, specific texts show that the rights of men, women and children are violated in specific contexts that define their Otherness. Socio-cultural practices and beliefs encourage the violation of rights and victimisation in all the texts, while religion generates same in all of El Saadawi‘s and Dibia‘s texts. While women are victimised in all the texts, men are victimised in God Dies by the Nile, Case‘s and Dibia‘s texts. The role of the perpetrator is played by both men and women in texts by El Saadawi, Beyala, Case and Dibia, whereas only men are the perpetrators in Coetzee‘s, Abani‘s and Vera‘s. While Abani centres on the trafficking of the girl-child for the purpose of sex work, El Saadawi shows that the boy- child can be raped and children are violated when made to suffer for their parents‘ sexual offences. All the texts, in different ways, create avenues for bridging the gap between the self and the ―Big Other‖ and the elimination of suffering. Coetzee‘s and El Saadawi‘s uphold the provision of professional institutions to seek redress for the sexually violated while Dibia‘s and Case‘s highlight tolerance and respect for every individual‘s sexual identity and orientation. All the texts favour the taking of responsibility for sexual actions and religious and socio- cultural re-orientation through sexuality education. African prose fiction writers create sexual rights awareness through their representations of contextsUNIVERSITY of sexual rights violation, victimisation OF ofIBADAN male and female genders, and sociologically-grounded solutions to the violation. This awareness, if extended to real world situations, would ensure better understanding and protection of every individual‘s sexual rights. Key words: Sexuality, Otherness, Sexual rights violation, Sexual identity, Gender Word count: 500 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My profound appreciation and gratitude go to my supervisor, Dr. R. O. Oriaku, for his suggestions, corrections and meticulous supervision of this work. It has been rewarding knowing and working under you. Thanks for your attention, guidance, for being approachable and having the human face which encouraged this work to arrive at its completion. Thank you for giving me a new outlook on life, for making your heart and vast library accessible, for applying the carrot and stick in the right proportion. I could not wish for a better supervisor. God will distinguish you among men. He will keep you and your family in good health, and bless you exceedingly and abundantly above all you can ever think or imagine. Dr. Obododimma Oha, you have proved to be an invaluable combination of friend, father and mentor. You really are a ray of sunshine. Dr. Lamidi, your encouragement kept me moving forward. Dr. Odebunmi, I have been touched in many ways by your kindness. Thank you for being there for me. Prof. Raji-Oyelade, thank you for book loans, corrections and support. All my lecturers: Profs. Oyeleye and Dasylva, Drs. Fashina, Alo, Omobowale, Kehinde, Jegede, Ogunsiji, Adeyanju, Akinjobi, and Sunday, thanks for your various contributions to my life and to this work. Mr. Gbenga Olaoye, there are not too many good souls like yours. Romanus Aboh, God sure knows how and when to send angels. Thank you for the joy and laughter you bring and for all the things you go out of your way to do to give me comfort. God will cause you to shine outstandingly and supply all your needs according to His riches in glory. Covenant Evbuomwan, after all these years, I still feel your warmth. Thanks for redefining sisterhood. Henry Osaiyuwu, I will treasure all the memories we made. Azubuike Chukwuka, you are still my ―next-of-skin‖. Zubi Weli, thank you for showing up when the going was tough. Tope, thank you for ICT assistance. Chukwuemeka Ugokwor, your support – makingUNIVERSITY some of my primary texts available – OFis invaluable. IBADAN Amaka Ezeife, Ebuka Igwebuike, Dr. Funke Oni, thank you for being there. Brothers and sisters in faith, Sharon Osawe, Moses Melefa, Tunde and Ife Salawu, Isaiah Igwe, Daniel Chijindu, David Inya, Sarah Setufe, Paul Akin Okekunle, and the whole house of the Redeemed Christian Postgraduate Fellowship, v thanks for your encouragement, prayers and spiritual support. Mr. V.O. Chukwu, thank you for being there to deliver hard knocks and kind words at appropriate times. There is nobody like family. We have been through thick and thin together, seeing our best and worst and still being able to say we belong to one another. You are all mine, each in a unique way, and I love you: Dad (I know you are still here), Mum (Sister), Mama, Ngozi, Emeka, Uju, Chukwudi, Jideofor, Osondu and Gozie; Emma, Ebuka and Victor; Kenechukwu, Arinze, Chinua and Chuka; Dubem and Ikem; and Chi-Chi, Emeka (Jnr), and Juochukwu. Thank you for the courage and resilience to go on. Thank you for letting me know that no matter where I go, there is a loving home to return to and warm arms waiting to embrace. God has indeed shown me that He has the power be God. In different ways I have come to understand Him as merciful, loving, faithful and yet, terrible. Each day, His awesomeness leaves me speechless. I thank you, God, for making this possible. I thank you for being dependable, my Rock. UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Title page i Dedication ii Certification iii Abstract iv Acknowledgements v Table of Contents vii List of Abbreviations x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 Sexual Rights: Towards a Definition 2 Realising Sexual Rights 10 Sexual Rights, Women‘s Movement and LGBT Movements 16 Statement of the Problem 20 Objectives of the Study 20 Scope of Study 21 Significance/Justification of Study 21 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 22 HumanUNIVERSITY Sexuality OF IBADAN 22 Sexuality as Part of a Changing Discourse 23 Sexuality and Politics 30 Sexuality, Morality and Religion 33 vii Sexuality and Identity 41 Sexual Violence 45 Sexual Pleasure/Eroticism 50 Sexuality and African Literature 54 Psychoanalysis as a Theoretical Framework 61 CHAPTER THREE: NEGOTIATING THE RIGHTS OF THE SEXUALLY VIOLATED: NAWAL EL SADAAWI‘S WOMAN AT POINT ZERO, TWO WOMEN IN ONE AND GOD DIES BY THE NILE, YVONNE VERA‘S WITHOUT A NAME AND J.M. COETZEE‘S DISGRACE 66 Nawal El Saadawi: Biography 66 Synopses of El Saadawi‘s Novels 67 Woman at Point Zero 67 Two Women in One 67 God Dies by the Nile 68 El-Saadawi‘s Structure for the Promotion of Sexual Rights in Woman at Point Zero, Two Women in One, ―The Picture‖, ―Nobody Told Her‖ and God Dies by the Nile 69 Biography: Yvonne Vera 82 Without a Name: A Summary 82 Negotiating the Rights of the Sexually Violated: Yvonne Vera‘s Without a Name 83 J.M. Coetzee: Biography 94 DisgraceUNIVERSITY – Summary OF IBADAN 94 Negotiating Sexual Rights and Consent in Coetzee‘s Disgrace 95 CHAPTER FOUR: THE CHILD IN SEXUAL RIGHTS DISCOURSES: CHRIS ABANI‘S BECOMING ABIGAIL AND CALIXTHE BEYALA‘S YOUR NAME SHALL BE TANGA 107 viii Chris Abani: Biography 107 Becoming Abigail – Summary 107 Sexual Rights of the Child in Becoming Abigail 108 Calixthe Beyala: Biography 114 Your Name Shall Be Tanga – Summary 114 The Sexually Violated Child: Calixthe Beyala‘s Your Name Shall Be Tanga 115 CHAPTER
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