SEEKING SEXUAL FREEDOM, African Rites, Rituals and Sankofa in the Bedroom

 274pp., paperback, Dialogue Books, London, 2026

ISBN: 9780349703428

Sankofa is an Akan word that literally translates as "go back and fetch it".

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah travels across Africa to train with women who guide girls and young women through puberty rites and marital training. She explores the spiritual and gender-fluid nature of African traditional religions, questions how these practices have been lost and, re-embracing them, offers practical advice on how contemporary women can overcome warped ideals of beauty and shame, internalised racism and violence to rediscover sexual freedom.

"A bold foray into African traditions around sexual pleasure and joy, with the personal goal of self-discovery and liberation, by one of Africa's preeminent feminists who 'is changing the way African women talk about sex'" Harper's Bazaar

"This book will help us reimagine what's possible" Charlene A. Carruthers

African feminist and activist Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is the author of The Sex Lives of African Women. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, CNN, Essence, and more. Her short stories have been published in It Wasn't Exactly Love and The Pot and Other Stories, and she is the co-founder of the podcast and blog Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women.