Bas bas jo kama ana maringo
mi hupenda chapa na tarimbo
mi huchapa chapa na nakanyaga
namwaga bila ata permission
This was the intro song to the popular gengetone song Tarimbo released in 2019 that sparked a lot of controversy on consent and the violent rape culture in Kenya.
For our non-Swahili speakers, the song loosely translated means that even when she plays hard to get or disinterested that he will still hit it without permission.
There is a burning need in Kenya and the world over for comprehensive sex education.
Sex education touching on everything from reproductive health, body autonomy, consent and access to contraceptives.
Even in jurisdictions where sex ed is a part of the curriculum, many haven’t taken the steps to make it LGBTIQ+ inclusive. They have also not updated the vocabulary to be less heteronormative and continue to teach the bare minimum.
We have been the leading sex-positive podcast in Africa offering a safe space for all things sex and sexuality.
This year we will be focusing on consent.
We urge you all to challenge your biases as we discuss this topic.
We also ask you to keep in mind that rape culture & the patriarchy are deeply engrained in our society and we must therefore all work together to dismantle the patriarchy.
Here are a few adjectives describing what consent is and what it is not.
Keep these in mind as we delve deeper next week.
Consent is mandatory.
Consent is freely given.
Consent is enthusiastic.
Consent can be revoked at any moment.
Consent is not implied.
Consent is not coerced.
- Written by: Njeri Gachuhi
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