A review of the literature provided reveals that Senegal has been experiencing a rise in cases related to prostitution and homosexuality. Mills (2) argues that the men who practice homosexuality are nicknamed góor-jigéen in Senegal. The term góor-jigéen is loosely translated to mean man-woman. These assertions are supported by Cohen (276) who asserts that the numbers of men who dress like women have been on the rise. According to Cohen (276), men who dress like women are called jankhas. Judging from the assertions and examples given by these two authors, I concur with them. From my experience, it is hard to coin a local name for a certain segment of the population not unless their numbers and habits are highly noticeable.
Further descriptions of jankhas by Cohen (276) reveal that they dance like hijaras. He introduces another name for men who dress like women; zenanas. I think these local nicknames have been coined due to lack of local terms (name) for the homosexuals. This is an indication that the homosexual phenomenon is new in Senegal and the African continent. Phenomena that have been for a long time do not have just as many demeaning local terms.
Cohen (276) further reveals that homosexual men have not been fully accepted in society. This can be depicted by the local translation of the terms given to them. For example, jankhas denotes effeminacy because such men treats themselves as a group of ‘girlfriends.' From my own experience, men whose behavior is equated to that of women are demeaned irrespective how developed the society is.
The homosexual issue is a controversial one throughout the world in the social, political and social fronts. This is evidenced by condemnation and mixed reactions towards marriages between people of the same gender. The marriage of same sex is called “gay marriages’’. The rise in these cases has made the Senegalese citizens condemn it terming it immoral and contrary to religious beliefs (Mills 4). The publication of gay marriages in the magazines implies that some people are engineering the vice which other people do not want. The communities’ anger towards marriages of same-sex makes the activists go into hiding to evade punishment.
Therefore, it is clear that the nation is fighting against those who engage in same-sex marriages. They regard this as evil and against their religious beliefs and traditions. Therefore, those who engage in such ‘immoral’ acts are seen as outcasts in the community.
Work Cited
Mills, Ivy. "Sutura: Gendered Honor, Social Death, and the Politics of Exposure in Senegalese Literature and Popular Culture." (2011).
Cohen, Lawrence. "The pleasures of castration: The postoperative status of hijras, jankhas and academics." Sexual nature, sexual culture (1995): 276-304.
