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Seeking Sexual Freedom

African Rites, Rituals and Sankofa in the Bedroom

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah Priscilla Layne

$49.99

Hardback

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English
Dialogue Books
12 March 2026
'A stunning exploration of how pleasure, ritual and inherited wisdom can transform the way we understand ourselves' Oloni

'Eye-opening' Eloghosa Osunde

'This book will help us reimagine what is possible' Charlene A. Curruthers

A bold foray into self-discovery, sexual pleasure and African traditions from the acclaimed author of The Sex Lives of African Women.

On her quest for sexual liberation, preeminent feminist Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah has heard the wildest dreams and spiciest realities of women around the world. But so often, something holds these women back from achieving full, unfettered freedom. Through sankofa, learning from the past to inform the future, Sekyiamah seeks to reclaim a more joyful and free sexual practice.

Travelling from Senegal to Tanzania and beyond, Sekyiamah trains with gurus, witches and aunties-guides through puberty rites and marital training-and explores the spiritual, fluid nature of traditional African religions. Embracing these age-old practices and questioning how we've come to lose them, Sekyiamah challenges our warped ideals of beauty, shame, internalised racism and violence to lead us on our own personal journeys to rediscover sexual freedom through practical advice and prompts.

Part-manifesto, part-travelogue, part-workbook, Seeking Sexual Freedom is the powerful and bold call to joy and liberation that women of all backgrounds need today.

'Sekyiamah is officially our pleasure fairy godmother!' Ayesha Harruna Attah

'Intimate and radical' Francesca Ekwuyasi

'An important work of cultural anthropology' Chinelo Okparanta
By:  
Translated by:  
Imprint:   Dialogue Books
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 236mm,  Width: 156mm,  Spine: 30mm
Weight:   480g
ISBN:   9780349703411
ISBN 10:   0349703418
Pages:   288
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is the author of The Sex Lives of African Women and Seeking Sexual Freedom. 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. She is the cofounder of the award-winning podcast and blog Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women. She is co-founder and co-director of the Institute for Journalism and Social Change.

Reviews for Seeking Sexual Freedom: African Rites, Rituals and Sankofa in the Bedroom

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is officially our pleasure fairy godmother! In Seeking Sexual Freedom, she scours the African continent and its diaspora, learning about sexuality in all its forms, so that we can truly liberate ourselves. A generous and important book. -- Ayesha Harruna Attah, author of THE HUNDRED WELLS OF SALAGA Seeking Sexual Freedom anchors itself through the Akan word and symbol, Sankofa, reminding us that erotic agency is not only ancestral but also the conduit to futurity. This sacred text is an offering of sexual porosity that transcends colonial narratives-a challenge against dismemberment, a pathway to wholeness. -- Dr. Briona Simone Jones, editor of MOUTHS OF RAIN Seeking Sexual Freedom strikes at the heart of what we all deserve: full bodily autonomy, deep relationality, and reclamation of traditions that are rightfully ours. Today's global struggles against fascism will be strengthened by Sekyiamah's insights and brilliance. We cannot afford another century of radical movements that fail to account for people as sexual beings, this book will help us reimagine what is possible. -- Charlene A. Carruthers, author of UNAPOLOGETIC A stunning exploration of how pleasure, ritual, and inherited wisdom can transform the way we understand ourselves. This book travels across borders and generations to reveal how intimacy becomes a site of healing, resistance, and freedom. A fresh and necessary perspective on sexuality, tradition, and liberation. -- Oloni, author of THE BIG O Overflowing with candour, vulnerability, and juiciness, this collection of raw, tender stories that Sekyiamah has so lovingly gathered will upend all of your assumptions and stereotypes. -- Deesha Philyaw on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN Extraordinarily dynamic . . . Here is a book like none you will have read before. -- Margaret Busby in the GUARDIAN on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN A vital treasure. -- Bolu Babalola on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN This is the intimate, insightful read that I didn't know I needed. Just brilliant. -- Dorothy Koomson on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN Fascinating. -- Bernardine Evaristo on THE SEX LIVES OF AFRICAN WOMEN


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