Recently a young man lost his penis. The member in question was lost during an initiation ritual and when he attempted to ask the elders what to do about it (raising the matter in a public forum) he allegedly received a beating. The reason he got this beating? Because by speaking out the initiate was […]
Tiffany Kagure Mugo
Tiffany Kagure Mugo is the host of the Basically Life podcast and author of Touch: Sex, Sexuality and Sensuality and Quirky Quick Guide to Having Great Sex
Posted inEquality
Have you ever used sex to get something you want?
“What is the difference between a person who actively sells sex and a person who expects drinks or dinner if they are to eventually give someone sex at some point?” This question was posed on a twitter chat held during International Sex Worker Month (International Sex Worker Rights Day being March 3). The social media […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Immigration: Is South Africa keeping out those it needs?
Election time is nearly upon us, which signals a flurry of activity to curry favour. A recent attempt was the hearings on the Immigration Amendment Bill. As a continental leader it is only befitting to want to monitor the comings and goings of people. The Immigration Amendment Bill seeks to tighten up the “porous borders”, […]
Posted inEquality, News/Politics
Cheese, crackers and taking women in politics seriously
In light of the rumours of trouble in the Agang camp and the elections racing towards us, one would understand Mamphela Ramphele’s need to find a bedfellow in the depths of political winter. It is a time-honoured political move. The ANC has its sheets full while the smaller parties bundle together. But sometimes one does […]
Posted inLifestyle
Why are public displays of sexual images so unacceptable?
This is a question I asked myself as my laptop froze while on a certain social media site and a particularly risqué photo filled my screen. As I fear judgment I must state that I had not purposefully clicked this link. The link title had been … misleading. I had been promised something far more […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle
The church has more money than God
In a world where many are continuing to tighten their belts and complain of the “financial pinch” there are some entities that seem to remain on the gravy train. Among the usual culprits one entity stands tall, a constant that no one questions or suspects. The church. It’s easy to speak of how big business […]
Posted inGeneral
Christmas: The time for hard questions
Christmas is about over indulgence and over familiarity. A time when those who have known you the longest come back into your life and try and update the knowledge they had on you from the last time you met. What this in turn means is that this is a time of year when all the […]
Posted inEquality, News/Politics
Now that Mandela is gone, we need to talk
The passing of Nelson Mandela has found the country without the iconic leader that served as the glue that held the fragile, fragmented pieces of this rainbow nation together. His death had the world mourning but also nursing a somewhat morbid curiosity as to what will happen now. It has the people asking: “Did reconciliation […]
Posted inEquality
What is a lesbian?
“What is lesbian now?” I begin explaining “queer theory” to my grandmother and the diffusion of human rights and international instruments that hold states accountable. These terms and phrases mean nothing to her. I try to tell her about Michel Foucault and she asks if he is my husband. Suddenly all those hours spent in […]