Stereotyping Sexuality. A Study of the Ghanaian Term "kojo besia"

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

MORPHOLOGICAL AND SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF THE TERM

FOUCAULT’S ANALYSIS OF THE HISTORY OF SEXUALITY

HOMOSEXUALITY IN AFRICA

MILTON’S IDEA OF SEXUALITY

CDA ANAYSIS OF THE TERM

CONCLUSION ON RESEARCH FINDINGS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ABSTRACT

The study examined the term, Kojo besia and the stereotype embedded in it. The study found that the term is associated with gayism, though that association is not necessarily true nor false. Effeminate males are seen as gay but not all are gay. However the term in Ghana relates more with homosexuality. The Miltonian theory of sexuality as used however shows that effeminate males are not necessarily gay and the actual fact is biologist have not been able to fully prove that homosexualiity is fully biological. From a CDA point of view the research has proven that kojo besia is a discriminatory and aligns with the contept of gender , gender stereotypes and masculinity. The study is geared towards sensitising the average Ghanaian , that not all effeminate males are gay and not all gays are effeminate. Thus, it is wrong to insinuate that the "kojo besia" is gay, though some are really gay.

INTRODUCTION

This study examines the discriminatory nature of the Ghanaian term , Kojo Besia. The fight against homosexuality in Ghana has been heightened by groups that preach proper sexual values. Comments of Ghanaians either on social media or by television interview show a high level disdain for homosexuality. The study tries to look at how stereotypes are created about effeminate males in Ghana. Are all effeminate males gay ? Are there gay men who are not effeminate? Thus this study tries to understand why the term Kojo Besia is used and the discriminatory ideas embedded in this term. The study uses foucault idea of sexuality and fuses it with a maiden idea of sexuality by the author to critically address the term under study. Thus this study is relevant in understanding the Ghanaian beliefs and ideation with respect to homosexuality in Ghana . Cambridge learner’s dictionary (2013) defines stereotype as a fixed idea that people have about what a particular type of person is like, especially an idea that is wrong. Stereotypes are mostly discrimanatory and offensive in nature. In few situations are stereotypes positive. From a critical discourse perspective the research looks at the compound word, Kojo Besia

MORPHOLOGICAL AND SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF THE TERM

Marantz (2016), within linguistics, morphology is the subdiscipline devoted to the study of the distribution and form of “morphemes,” taken to be the minimal combinatorial unit languages use to build words and phrases. For example, it is a fact about English morphology that information about whether a sentence is in the past tense occurs at the end of verbs. Research has shown that all languages have morphological structures. Akan is no exception. Akan words can be broken to the least unit. A morpheme is said as the last grammatical unit of a language. Word formation process abound in languages . One such word formation process is compounding . Scalise and Forza (2017) define compounding as the morphological operation that—in general—puts together two free forms and gives rise to a new word. They make claim that the importance of compounding stems from the fact that there are probably no languages without compounding, and in some languages (e.g., Chinese) it is the major source of new word formation. To them, compounds are particularly interesting linguistic constructions for a number of reasons. First, they constitute an anomaly among grammatical constructions because they are “words,” but at the same time exhibit a type of “internal syntax.” Compounds, furthermore, represent a contact point between several crucial linguistic and nonlinguistic notions such as syntagmatic and paradigmatic relationships, syntax and morphology, and linguistic knowledge and pragmatic knowledge. On the other hand , Nordquist (2019) defines compounding as the process of combining two words (free morphemes) to create a new word (commonly a noun,verb, or adjective). Also called composition, it is from the Latin for "put together". He says that compounds are written sometimes as one word (sunglasses) , sometimes as two hyphenated words (life-threatening), and sometimes as two separate words (football stadium). The word under study is a compound word, consisting of two words or morphemes, kojo and besia. Kojo which is an anglicized version of the Ghanaian word , Kwadwo. Kojo or Kwadwo mean the same thing , a male born on Monday. In Akan culture , babies are named according to the day of their birth. A male born on Sunday is called Kwesi and there are other names , all based on the day the baby was born.

The word, Besia or some spelt Basia means female. A male is called Banyin or Barima. However, the two non similar words are joined together to create a compound word. The subsequent paragraphs will delve into the semantic nature of the compound word under review.

Encyclopaedia Britannica says , “ semantics , also called semiotics, semology , or semasiology, the philosophical and scientific study of meaning in natural and artificial languages. The term is one of a group of English words formed from the various derivatives of the Greek verb sēmainō (“to mean” or “to signify”). The noun semantics and the adjective semantic are derived from sēmantikos (“significant”); semiotics (adjective and noun) comes from sēmeiōtikos (“pertaining to signs”); semiology from sēma (“sign”) + logos (“account”); and semasiology from sēmasia (“signification”) + logos ”

Nordquist ( 2019) defines semantics as the field of linguistics which is concerned with the study of meaning in language. Linguistic semantics has been defined as the study of how languages organize and express meanings. Nordquist says that the term semantics (from the Greek word for sign) was coined by French linguist Michel Bréal (1832-1915), who is commonly regarded as a founder of modern semantics.

The compound word , Kojo Besia is a combination of two words that differ in great meaning and thus are antonymous. However as a compound word , it has a singular meaning. The simple semantics of the word is , a male who behaves like a female . Thus, when an Akan person says Kojo Besia it means the person is effeminate. This meaning is created by joining Kojo (a male born on Monday ) and Besia (a female ) to create the idea of a man who has female features. The study in the subsequent paragraph will delve into the inner meanings of the word and the discriminatory nature of the word. Why did this compound evolve and what are the ideations behind this word?

FOUCAULT’S ANALYSIS OF THE HISTORY OF SEXUALITY

Foucauldian theory of sexuality will be used in this work. Michel Foucault’s theory of sexuality is a very interesting book to the individual who researches about sex. Michel Foucault in his book The History of Sexuality traced the history of sex. Foucault published this book in four volumes. The first volume was published in 1976. The second and third volumes were published in 1984. The last volume was published posthumously in 2018. Foucault claims in the first volume that power is not what has repressed sexuality but instead that it is ultimately power that has created the construct of sexuality. He also argues that individuals try to conform to laid down norms through self-scrutinizing and self-forming. Thus from his perspective, societal influence reflect in the way people. Have sex or sexual relationships. He argues that as society came into contact with industrialization, the bourgeoisie, who interested in economic productivity, suppressed discourses on sexuality. Non-procreative sex was frowned upon during this period. This shows that religion (in the form of power) controls how people have had sex since antiquity. By the middle century, the entirety of Europe was christian. Here Foucault posits that the bible request of procreation was used to suppress sexual desires. You can only have sex when you want to give birth. He argues that in modern times discourse around sexuality has changed and individuals now feel comfortable to express their sexuality and sexual preferences. He also argues that conceptions about sexuality are in fact always the result of specific cultural conventions and mechanisms of power. This aligns with theories of gender which see gender as a social construct. Foucault himself was a homosexual, and this influenced his writings. He believes that power relations are internal conditions of sexual identities..Foucault, just like scholars before him, shows that sex is inert and thus human desires to have sex is natural and will forever exist. The problem today, though surprising, is can a man mate with a fellow man or not. The world has passed the stage where discourse on sex was supressed. Today, due to the multimedia feature of the internet, anyone can access pornography material. From the Christian perspective, God created them male and female. He ordered them to procreate, an endorsement of sex. Then in passages that recount the birth of bible gurus. The KJV uses "begot" after ciuoles "knew" themselves. This shows instances of sex. Thus the Christian child is introduced to the idea of sex amd procreation, that is when the child reads the bible. Other religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and others also have their creation story. But a key substance of these creation stories is the idea that human beings descended from a man and woman, after the two had engaged in coitus. Greek and Roman mythology are rife with the ideas and the perphaps glorification of sex. Of parricular interest is animals who have sex without any prior training. For the human get horny or having strong sexual urges is the beginning of sexual experience .This mostly then leads to masturbation till the human gets the opportunity to engage in sex with someone of the opposite sex, today even same sex.

HOMOSEXUALITY IN AFRICA

Ajen (1998) writes that to the average Ghanaian, however,the issue of homoeroticism is likely to arise when there is talk about androgynous characters(known as kojo besia,which can be translated “man-woman”)or about boarding schools (especially single-sex schools). He found out that there are a lot males who engage in homosexuality either for plaseure or for finicancial reasons. He even talks of a gentleman who engaged in homosexual acts so as to generate money for marriage. Ajen posits that there are intensely secret“friendship clubs”for men who love other men.These clubs are often as secretive as intelligence agencies.While on safe ground and among themselves,members can be as flamboyant as they wish; almost all of them change their appearance and behavior when elsewhere to fit the traditional roles of men in society. Ajen thus provides a very feature of homosexuality in the Ghanaian context.

Tupetse (2003) argues that, “ some reports doing the rounds in the Accra metropolis have it that some very prominent Ghanaians, including television presenters, musicians, actors and children of very wealthy Ghanaians are gay. Even a cosmopolitan international school has been pencilled as a breeding ground for homosexuals in the nation’s capital. This goes to show the bad light in which people hold so-called gays in the Ghanaian society. The general contention is that even lower animals are not known to be homosexuals, why should humans known to be higher animals with reasoning minds debase themselves to that level? An avowed gay, or homosexual therefore,is considered an outcast in Ghana, and infact in many African societies for very good reasons. A gay man was allegedly lynched in Cape Coast in 1965,while another gay faced the same fate at Bawku in the mid-1980s.However,as recent as last December 2002,at a village near Koforidua,a man found dead on a farm was said to have been lynched when caught trying to have sex with an eight-year-old boy. Inasmuch as people will quickly deny their involvement in homosexuality no one has ever boldly come out to confirm his status to the public as a gay.” However today , there are some men who have boldly come out as gay in Ghana unlike years ago in Ghana. But Tupetse states facts that are as relevant today as their were 20 years ago.

Aikins ,Ayernor and Dartey (2012) in their research titled ‘Coming out of the Closet’ in Africa: Identity construction and expression among Ghanaian men who have sex with men (MSM) examined identity construction and expression among Ghanaian men who have sex with men (MSM) and the implications for interventions and advocacy. Individual interviews were conducted with 20 MSM and participant observations were conducted in MSM spaces in Accra and Tema, Ghana. They found out that stigma consciousness and actual stigma undermined full disclosure of MSM identities, compelled men to live ‘secretly homosexual and socially heterosexual lives’ and created tensions within MSM peer groups particularly with respect to MSM advocacy. Thus they study confirms that Ghanaians disapprove homosexuality.

Anipah (2017) examined framing of same-sex relationships by the Daily Graphic and the Daily Guide newspapers from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2015. She looked at factors that influenced coverage and framing of the practice were also investigated in order to provide a holistic and comprehensive picture of local media construction of the practice . A total of 135 stories were analysed for tone, prominence, sources of information and frames. Eight transcripts of in-depth interviews conducted with media practitioners, were also analysed to determine the factors that influenced framing of same-sex relationships. She found that same-sex relationships were framed more often in terms of morality, although other frames such as conflict, responsibility and human interest were also employed by the Daily Graphic and the Daily Guide. She claims that previous studies in Ghana and other parts of the world had shown that the media portrayed same-sex relationships negatively and relied predominantly on sources other than homosexuals, the people who were often implicated in stories published, as sources of information. Again , she makes claims that religious leaders and politicians were mostly used as sources of information by both the Daily Graphic and the Daily Guide. The findings thus revealed that factors such as the legal status of same-sex relationships in Ghana and the unwillingness of pro-gay and homosexual sources to grant journalists interviews influenced the coverage and framing of same-sex relationships by the two newspapers. she writes that t he practice of same-sex relationships is illegal in a number of Africa countries. She says that out of 86 member countries of the United Nations that criminalise same sex relationships, 38 are from Africa. This could be attributed to the fact that unlike some of the countries that have legalised the practice, most African still place premium marriage. She mentions Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act 2014 popularly known as “Kill the gays bill” and Nigeria’s Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill 2013 also known as “Jail the gays” are among the most criticised homophobic laws in Africa . she writes , “ South Africa and Cape Verde are however two of the few African countries with ‘homosexuality friendly’ laws. Cape Verde became more tolerant of same-sex relationships when in 2004, the country decriminalised same-sex relations between people over 16 years, considered the age of consent. In 2007, South Africa became the first country in African to legalise same-sex marriage . The legality or otherwise of same-sex relationships in Ghana has also contributed to the discussion of the practice. Both advocates and opponents of same-sex relationships have quoted laws to back their positions.”

She cites the Ghanaian laws on homosexuality

Section 104 of Chapter 6 of the Criminal Law (1960) of Ghana (amended in 2003), the most quoted provision in discussions on same-sex relationships in Ghana, stipulates that: 1. Whoever has unnatural carnal knowledge – (a) of any person of the age of sixteen years or over without his consent shall be guilty of a first degree felony and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of not less than five years and not more than twenty-five years; or (b) of any person of sixteen years or over with his consent is guilty of misdemeanour; or (c) of any animal is guilty of a misdemeanour. 2. Unnatural carnal knowledge is sexual intercourse with a person in an unnatural manner or with an animal.

She says that however, according to people like Martin Amidu, former Attorney General and Minister for Justice, this clause does not necessarily criminalise same-sex relationships . According to Amidu, same-sex relationships are not illegal but are punishable only if they involve minors. Amidu further argues that what goes on behind closed doors between two consenting men is not the business of the state. Others also share the view that the law does not mention same-sex relationship between women and therefore lesbianism cannot be illegal. There are yet others such as another former Attorney General, Marietta Brew Oppong, who believe that the provision makes it clear that same-sex relationships are illegal whether between men or women . Nana Oye Lithur, however does not contest the legality or otherwise of same-sex relationships. She is of the view that gays and lesbians need to be protected based on their status as citizens of Ghana.

Mark S luckie writes that many Ghanaians in the deeply religious nation consider homosexuality evil and disgraceful. Luckie states further that many blame gay men for AIDS in Ghana and label them as promiscuous,pedophiles or criminals.He posits that any public display of affection or an accusation of homosexuality could mean swift arrest and jail time under Ghanaian law. Luckie speculates that about ten percent of the Ghanaian population–or approximately two million Ghanaians–have been involved in same-sex relationships and he cites the Gay and Lesbian Association of Ghana as his source. According to him, Ghana is one of the unfriendliest countries for gays,along with four other African nations: Uganda ,Egypt,Nigeria and Cameroon.

He discusses a press release by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Kwamena Bartels which condemned an LGBT conference that was scheduled to happen in Ghana. The communique read, "The government does not condone any such activity which violently offends the culture,morality and heritage of the entire people of Ghana,.Supporting such a conference,or even allowing it,will encourage that tendency which the law forbids.The government would like to make it absolutely clear that it shall not permit the proposed conference anywhere in Ghana.Unnatural carnal knowledge is illegal under our criminal code.Homosexuality, lesbianism and bestiality are therefore offences under the laws in Ghana." Of particular interest is the story of a young man called Harbour. He was an American student who studied in Ghana. He was constantly confronted because he had multiple earrings which made people suspicious he was gay. However he was left alone when his accusers realised he was American. He was told that his wearing of earrings meant he wanted to be a woman.

MILTON’S IDEA OF SEXUALITY

Scholars have fought , though not physical but on an academic level, on whether homosexuality is biological or choice. The issue of choice offends scholars and rights activists who feel that saying that being queer is a choice gives way for discrimination. However scholars who argue on choice have no option perhaps because research in biology has not been able to fully prove that there is a particular gene that makes people gay. The data does not support the biological factor. Thus those who say choice are maybe right .But I introduce a theory that mixes the two. My theory believes in 90% choice and 10% biological. There was a time where people felt that that homosexuality was persecuted thus supposedly hid their homosexuality or sexual attraction to the same sex. My focus is on the fact that they hid their sexual attraction to the same sex (for men) to the extent that they were able to marry women.Lesbians married men and were able to give birth. But if sexuality is biological how then were they able to copulate with the other sex? How was the gay man able to get erection to the extent of penetrating the wife? Is this then a fallacy? Are people really born gay? The answer can be both yes and no. Indeed there are men who possess feminine hormones and there are women who possess masculine hormones. And thus it is possible for a man to somehow feel attracted to another man. I have indeed interacted with men who have indicated that they have had erections while around men. But the question is if no biological proof exists to show that men are gay and women are lesbians. Is not the so called attraction part of our psycho sexual development? Must we take itserious? Then the Foucauldian theory of sex comes in. Religion influences our sexual preferences . The more religious a supposed gay person is the more likely he will suppress his so called homosexuality. Thus sexuality is 10% biological and 90% choice. The most important thing I introduce is that no one is born gay or lesbian but more importantly no one is born heterosexual. Our society and religion influence our choice and preference. I see this guy in the public bathroom and I really like his penis because it is very big and turns me on. I feel like hugging him and approaching him but as to whether I do that or not solely depends on my socialisation and religion..Thus, there is 10% biology and over 80% choice or social influence. So as to whether I engage in homosexuality with the guy at the bathroom or not it solely depends on me. Thus I conclude that no one is born gay or lesbian but also not straight. We are born humans and we choice our sexuality. Whether we will have sex with the opposite sex or same sex it is 100 % dependent on our socialisation and the influence religion has over us . I posit that all forms of sexuality are advanced masturbation. There is no difference in a guy called Jonathan Jones masturbating or this same guy penetrating Abena Koomson or this guy penetrating a guy called Yaw Sika. In all three scenarios, Jones will ejaculate and experience orgasm. it is important to note that same will happen for a lady. Thus as Freund and Foucault have said already , sexuality is from childhood. A childhood desire for pleasure is what is transferred to our adolescence and to adulthood . No one is born heterosexual or homosexual but we are entitled to our choice of sexuality. I am male and prefer to marry a woman but if I can use lotion to get orgasm then I can surely penetrate another guy. Does that make me gay? Well to me being gay is purely a state of mind . And as the analysis is interested, is it wrong to call an effeminate man gay? And indeed are all supposed gay men effeminate? Are all effeminate males gay? These are the questions the research seeks to answer and more importantly show the discriminatory nature of the term, "Kojo Besia"

CDA ANAYSIS OF THE TERM

Flowerdew (2013) defines discourse as the language above the sentence and its context of usage. Discourse studies on the other hand is seen as the study of language in context. (Flowerdew 2013). One of several approaches to discourse study is critical discourse analysis. Amossou and Allagbe (2018) define CDA as an approach that can be used to investigate social problems. To them CDA focuses on social problems and especially the role of discourse in the production and reproduction of power abuse and domination.

CDA tries to see how language plays a role in abuse and discrimination and particularly powering a section of society. This section of the work looks at how discrimanatory messages are embedded in kojo besia and how the term is particularly used to suppress and humiliate. The earlier sections of this work has done a grammatical analysis of the term. Emphasis have also been laid on the nature of sexuality in Africa (Ghana included).

The research found out that the term under study is a compounded word that is used to describe a man or male with feminine faeturees. The word endorses gender stererotypes and embodies masculinity. Kojo Besia is the man who is not man enough . Kojo Besia is the man who is inferior. He is a woman not a man. The olden ideas of kojo besia was just effeminate nature ,but the research shows that as the Ghanaian is introduced to the concept of homosexuality, which hitherto was rarely discussed , ‘the term’ now is aligned with homosexuality. The kojo besia is suspected to be gay. The experience of the gentleman called Harbour symbolises the stereotype embedded in kojo besia. a man who decides to dress like a woman is obviously gay and must be dealt with. The average Ghanaian despises gays and sees them as people who deserve some form of punishment. The semantics of the word is a male with female features but the pragmatic of the word is that , it symbolises the man who is deviating in a masculine driven society. The man desires to be a woman. From a sociological or biological perpective, the kojo besia is not necessarily gay. Not all gay men are effeminate and not all non effeminate men are not gay. The term is used as a negative reinforcement, to disgrace the male and force him to conform to the acccepted practice. He must be masculine enough. The derogatory and discrimantory nature of the term is all about breaking the spirit of the young man and force him to change his identity and behave more masculine and less feminine

CONCLUSION ON RESEARCH FINDINGS

This work was done from a CDA point of view and was aided by the use of Foucauldian and the Miltonian theory of sexuality. In the end, the work, while examining the stereotype in Kojo besia, found out that the term is used to suggest and symbolise homosexuality, though such claims are not necessarily right. Ghanaians, as religious as they are , frown upon homosexuality. Effeminate men(kojo besia) are stereotyped as gay men just because they look feminine. The data points to the fact that being kojo besia is synonymous to being gay in the Ghanaian context, and thus the onus is on the Kojo besia to prove everyone wrong.

The notion, is discriminatory and creates a pathway for inferiority complex in the Kojo besia. Being Kojo Besia is biological but being gay is not necessarily biological, as research has so far not been able to prove so. The term kojo besia is best abandoned and not used to mock the effeminate male. Attitudes towards homosexuality in Ghana is negative , a notion in line with the Foucauldian idea of religion and power controlling discourses around homosexuality in Ghana.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aikins , Ayernor and Dartey (2012) in their research titled ‘Coming out of the Closet’ in Africa: Identity construction and expression among Ghanaian men who have sex with men (MSM)

Amoussou,F. , Allagbe , AA Principles, Theories and Approaches to Critical Discourse AnalysisInternational Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL)

Anipah ,C. (2017). MEDIA FRAMING OF SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS IN GHANA: A STUDY OF THE DAILY GRAPHIC AND THE DAILY GUIDE NEWSPAPERS

Flowerdew,John.(2013).Discourse in English Language ĹEducation.Routledge.

Marantz, A. 2016 in Neurobiology of Language, https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199772810/obo-9780199772810-0060.xml https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-compounding-words-1689894

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