“Young people are having sex, whether we like it or not”: Youth countering politicized cultural differences in sexuality education in Addis Ababa

Abstract

School-based sexuality education is a globally controversial topic. While adopted as a human rights-based international norm and part of numerous frameworks (e.g., SDGs and Maputo Protocol for African countries), one of the main controversies in the Global South is the question of norm ownership. The case of sexuality education in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is a powerful example of debates around norm spoiling and the so-called (un-)Africanness of sexuality education. In this article, I ask how a generational perspective, influences our understanding of translating sexuality education, which challenges a young generation of actors working in Addis Ababa face and how they counteract politicized cultural differences. Based on my empirical research in Addis Ababa during 2019–2020, I illustrate that resistance to sexuality education is culturized and therefore a transnational challenge for actors striving to enhance school-based sexuality education. Demands to better include youth generations in political decision-making, strengthen bottom-up translation, and to counter the politicization of cultural differences remain largely confined to subaltern counterpublics, particularly within educational settings and NGO-based projects.