In Zimbabwe, This Woman is Challenging the Prohibition of Sex Toys

Earlier in March, 35-year old Sitabile Dewa took the Zimbabwean government to court, asking it to overturn certain laws regarding sexual expression deprivation. She claimed that she enjoyed her sex life with her husband, but before her divorce, she considered the prospects for erotic pleasure to be somewhat dim.

Dewa's desire to play with sex toys sprang from her unhappiness at the stigmatisation of divorced and single mothers in Zimbabwe's traditional dating pool. However, sex toys are illegal in Zimbabwe.

“I should not be deprived of self-exploration and indulgence in self-gratification,” said Dewa.

The importing or possession of sex toys is prohibited by Zimbabwe's "censorship and entertainments control" law because they are considered "indecent" or "obscene" and detrimental to public morals.

Dewa called the regulation "archaic" and is suing to get it overturned because she claims it restricts her rights. She sued the Zimbabwean government in March, asking the court to overturn certain laws. Her case is still being heard in court. She has made blatant, unabashed references to masturbation and women's sexuality, which would likely offend some readers in Zimbabwe.

Women's rights activists say her fight is important because it challenges the patriarchal culture of the country, which restricts women's freedom of choice in many areas, including contraception, marriage, and even clothing.

Dewa, a feminist who argues against the ban on sex toys, claims to have drawn on her personal experiences as a woman to justify her stance. Two ladies were detained for possessing sex toys in 2017, demonstrating that the law is enforced.

One of them was marketing and selling sex aids to female customers via an internet store and blog. After being held for two weeks, she was given the option of six years in prison or 640 hours of unpaid community service.

According to Debra Mwase, programmes manager of Katswe Sistahood, a Zimbabwean group campaigning for women's rights, the marginalisation of men is what seems to irritate authorities the most on the sex toy problem. She argued that men in Zimbabwe's political, social, and cultural spheres are threatened by sexually free women.

“Sex is not really seen as a thing for women,” Mwase said. “Sex is for men to enjoy. For women, it is still framed as essential only for childbearing.”

In a nutshell, Dewa argues that if the majority of users were men, the restrictions would have been removed a long time ago.

Zimbabwe's past is also significant. Multiple studies have demonstrated that African women were far more sexually expressive before the imposition of European laws, culture, and religion in sub-Saharan Africa and that this was before colonialism.

Sylvia Ramale, a renowned Ugandan academic, said in the preface of her book, "African Sexualities" that African women were "relatively unrestrained" in their sexuality before colonization. According to Ramale, one reason was that they dressed provocatively.

Colonialism and the alien religion it brought "stressed the impurity and inherent sin associated with women's bodies," she said.

Mwase makes light of what she perceives as a big irony in modern Zimbabwe, which has been rid of the oppression of white minority rule for 43 years yet still upholds colonial-era regulations like the one about sex toys.

Many of the Westerners who brought their beliefs and rules to Africa have long since abandoned them. It is in Europe where women now freely wear less clothing and are sexually liberal, just like we were doing more than a century ago, she said.

She explained that the larger context in Zimbabwe is women being "tired of oppression," and that's why Dewa's push for access to sex toys is so progressive. However, recent developments point to a return to the past that may be just as desirable.

Parts of a pre-colonial southern African custom called "Chinamwari" are making a comeback, in which young women meet under the guidance of older women in their families or communities to discuss and learn about sexuality.

Chinamwari gatherings in contemporary Zimbabwe are promoted via online media. However, guarantees of privacy are now included, in large part due to cultural norms regarding sexuality and pushback from men who aren't comfortable with the idea of women being particularly skilled in this area.