The Feminization of African Men

Long before Nigeria had a First Lady who steps out of the plane before the president does; long before Kenya had a First Lady who slaps journalists around; long before men in Lagos started to tattoo their lips pink; long before Charlie Boy took it all off by the poles, I noticed a trend across Africa — the feminization of African men.

Seven years after I first aired my observations, the train moving east has crossed paths with the one moving west. Lawmakers in New Jersey are pushing for an end to perpetual alimony for spouses that is driving men to the brink. The AMC series Mad Men is what is left of the way the men of the New Hemisphere used to be. It’s clear that the ‘Vagina Monologues’ has veered off Broadway into the boardroom. But we will start this story again from the very beginning.

I will list some names here. Please remember them. They are solely responsible for the feminization of the African man.

Rotimi Oyekanmi Funmi Komolafe; and Yetunde Arebi.

But first, let me start with Susan Lydon.

In 1970, Susan Lydon wrote a landmark essay for Rampart magazine titled, “Politics of Orgasm.” In the essay, she argued that the clitoris was the center of female pleasure and women do not need men to achieve sexual fulfillment. Vaginal orgasm, she wrote, was a male myth aimed at keeping…