Desiring women in contemporary Senegal: Nafissatou Dia Diouf and Kalista Sy’s inclusive afrotopos

Abstract

In Afrotopia, Senegalese scholar and writer Felwine Sarr argues that it is time for Africa to undertake “the efforts of critical reflection in regard to oneself, one’s own realities and situation in the world: to think oneself, to represent oneself, to project oneself” in order to “contribute to the positive transformation of African societies.” Contemporary Senegalese writers Nafissatou Dia Diouf and Kalista Sy are committed to transformative visions of Africa in their work which focuses on the perspectives and desires of Senegalese women. Through the genres of literature and television screenplays, Diouf and Sy tackle important, sometimes sensitive, issues that are not often portrayed on the page or the screen and that push back against patriarchal views of women. By elevating women’s voices and experiences, these two important cultural producers stimulate critical reflection on perceptions of gender, sexuality, desire, pleasure, and empowerment to promote a more inclusive society and afrotopos.