13 - Sex, Food & Female Power

Summary

Sexuality is often perceived as a site for women's subordination. Through the institution of marriage, a woman's sexuality is placed under her husband's control, for his pleasure and for patrilineal procreation. Food and cooking are similarly perceived as part of women's household chores, adding to the double workload impeding women's advancement in society.

From the point of view of such perceptions the title of this chapter may seem controversial: how could one argue for a perspective, in which sex and food may possibly be acknowledged as areas of female power? The chapter will proceed first by briefly discussing these perceptions as applied to Africa and in a historical perspective, and second by introducing the matrilineal context in which the chapter's discussion is positioned – a context which makes implicit and rocentric assumptions in main stream perceptions more visible. Third, the conception of ‘female power’ will be debated in the light of feminist theorizing. After this overture data from northern Mozambique with a focus on male–female relations as mediated through food and sex will be presented and discussed. Finally I will draw some conclusions, posing questions for further inquiry.