Tackling taboo issues of sex and sexuality

Edmore Zvinonzwa

Demystifying Taboos …. And Sex – The Mother of All Humanity; By Joyce Jenje Makwenda; Harare 2022.

ISBN: 978-1779 271812 (Paperback)

Generally, African societies have remained very conservative on certain subjects, especially sex and sexuality.

This has resulted in parents and guardians finding it difficult to deal with the issues when they affect their children. Sex education has, as a result, been difficult in learning institutions, especially primary and secondary schools.

Joyce Jenje Makwenda’s compilation of articles that were published in The Herald newspaper on the subject of sex and sexuality, has been an eye-opener which has demystified the subjects.

The forty-eight stories, originally published between 2009 and 2011 and then 2015 and 2016 are all meant to unmask the veil that covers sex, sexuality and relatioships from a contemporary perspective, while also interrogating African traditional practices, rites, beliefs and teachings.

From traditional times, music has been a tool used in a number of functions in the home and outside. Jenje Makwenda says music was used by women to communicate their husbands’ weaknesses, including issues to do with their bedrooms. By so doing, the issues received due attention, leading to their eventual resolution and prevalence of peace and love in the home.

“For instance, while grinding or pounding, a woman might sing a song to her husband’s family informing them that her husband was not treating her well or was not performing well in bed. This resulted in, in some cases the husband’s relatives administering some ‘herbs’ to the man in order to help him function properly.” (p12)

Jenje Makwenda’s book is also targeted at celebrating womanhood as reflected in their dressing, growth and other issues like menstruation as an expression of the change from being a girl into a woman.

The subject of lobola, which has been criticised by some as commercialisation and commodification of women is also interrogated in the book. The writer is not saying lobola must go but perhaps her message is that certain perceptions created by lobola must not be allowed to prevail.

Her argument is that lobola must remain as a symbol of unity between two families.

What is perhaps critical about the book is that it talks about issues that people would never be comfortable discussing openly and this has assisted greatly.

Some practices that are foreign to Zimbabwe can startle any onlooker. “A Zimbabwean man married to a French woman said his father nearly collapsed when he visited them in France, and his daughter-in-law hugged and kissed him.” (p57)

There are so many other concerns that Jenje Makwenda tackles in her compilation such as the hazards of cheating in relationships, the secrets and issues of virginity and traditional matchmaking.

Marriage as well as things that can help keep them intact remains at the core of the book as well. The author seems to suggest that since cultures have been changing over the years, then it is inevitable that people in marriage should look at the valuable in tradition and modernity and then emerge with a fusion of the two.

The role of initiation schools, something that was an integral part of traditional African societies, in life is also explored. Even today, there are communities that still uphold these as important aspects of their societies as they help mould the ideal woman and man capable of withstanding all the turbulence that can come with relationships.

Jenje Makwenda also tackles the invaluable worth of couples’ forums in strengthening relationships, parenting, sexual guidance, domestic violence and the development of negotiating skills in women.

Joyce Jenje Makwenda was born on March 24, 1958 in Harare (then called Salisbury).

She is an award winning producer, journalist, artist and ethnomusicologist.

She is also an independent scholar, archivist, historian, researcher, author, lecturer, and she gives talks on a number of topics.

Joyce has 38 years of working experience covering areas of early urban culture, music, politics, education, religion, media, fashion, sex and sexuality (taboo issues) and cultural issues and women’s histories in Zimbabwe.

A renowned writer who has written a number of books and novels that include, Zimbabwe Township Music (2005), which has been widely read locally and internationally.

In 2006 she published Gupuro in Shona which was translated into English and published as Divorce-Token and in 2007 she went on to write USenzeni in Ndebele (Zulu) the two books are on women’s issues and the girl child respectively. In 2013 she published another book and diary notebook on Women Musicians of Zimbabwe 1930’s-2013 - A Struggle for Voice and Artistic Expression (2013).

In the same year 2013 she published Women Parliamentarians and Politicians in Zimbabwe which has had a number of editions.

Demystifying Taboos … And Sex – The Mother of All Humanity (A compilation of the articles that she wrote on the topic –sex and sexuality from 2009-2011 and 2014-2016) is her latest publication.

Joyce is a dynamic storyteller and radio personality who did work for local and international radios.

She has also produced a number of film/television documentaries which have won awards, including Zimbabwe Township Music 1930’s-1960’s (1992).

Joyce Jenje Makwenda has invested her time in trying to demystify the notion of viewing sex and sexuality as taboo issues by writing about the issues and also giving talks to different groups of society, amongst them the young, the old, women, men and couples. Joyce won an award for writing about sex and sexuality which was the first to be won by a journalist in Southern Africa - Special award The Triple T award - "tackling taboo topics" (New Category) – Gender Links/GEMSA Awards (2010).