Kunyaza and Ssenga

This entry explores the concept of (women’s) sexual pleasure as experienced, understood, and articulated by African women and feminist scholars. It delves into how African feminism redefines and claims pleasure against colonial legacies and patriarchal norms that continue to haunt many regions of the continent (Coly, 2019). Sexual pleasure, an essential part of human sexuality, is one of the primary reasons why people engage in sexual activities (McFadden, 2003; Rye & Meaney, 2007). Pleasure is both an embodied phenomenon and a sociocultural concept shaped by cultural norms and values; it depends on dominant discourses that enable some expressions while prohibiting others. From a postcolonial feminist perspective, sexual pleasure is regarded as a choice and holds the potential for empowerment, enabling women to re-evaluate and reclaim their (sexual) lives (McFadden, 2003; see also Lorde, 1984; hooks, 2002). However, in the African context, sexual pleasure is a widely contested concept and is complicated by historical constructions of gender and sexuality.