Ghanaian youth and festive transvestism

Abstract

'Festive transvestism' is an increasingly visible cross-dressing practice performed by young people in the Southern parts of contemporary Ghana. Based on participant observation in four cross-dressing events, 15 individual interviews and a focus-group discussion, festive cross-dressing is understood as a contemporary ritual that mainly serves the purpose of reinforcing and reproducing gender binaries as well as heteronormativity in Ghanaian society. Nevertheless cross-dressing events also provide a subjective, creative and exploratory space--although temporary and circumscribed--for the transvestites as well as for the spectators to deconstruct sex, gender and sexuality through the performativity of transvestism. The opening of this exploratory space is made possible by the liminality of the social category of youth in Ghana, which grants young people, especially young men, more liberty and (gender) flexibility. Finally, the paper challenges the widely spread Western perception that feminine men and cross-dressers are necessarily homosexual by resituating the concept of homosexuality within the context of Ghanaian society, where it has recently started to occupy the public space.

Invisible Desires in Ghana and Kenya: Same-Sex Erotic Experiences in Cross-Sex Oriented Lives

“…In Ghana, there is an interesting opportunity for same-sex erotic practices for men; the annual cross-dressing events on campus (Geoffrion, 2013), which are a variation of the annual festive events in southern Ghana where local costume-and cross-dressing are important markers of the cultural parades. These events are keenly anticipated and widely enjoyed as a time for letting go, drinking and partying.…”

“…But then, as it was good, we found ourselves organizing an evening like that again, and we did so every now and then throughout our studies. I look back at it with mixed feelings, I enjoyed it, I cannot deny that, but I am also scared that someone will find out.In Ghana, there is an interesting opportunity for same-sex erotic practices for men; the annual cross-dressing events on campus (Geoffrion, 2013), which are a variation of the annual festive events in southern Ghana where local costume- and cross-dressing are important markers of the cultural parades. These events are keenly anticipated and widely enjoyed as a time for letting go, drinking and partying.…”

“I Wish our Gender Could Be Dual”

“…Her answer clearly diverges from Kwesi's, who stated he wishes he could freely wear women's shoes and dresses in public, without being discriminated against. By claiming that her son cross-dresses to create "fun" amalgamates his behavior with what I have called "festive transvestism" (Geoffrion 2012), a popular practice young men adopt publicly when there is an event to celebrate such as a football victory or during the hall festivities on the university campus. Only then do young men cross-dress openly, for the time of the celebration.…”

“…In my paper on festive cross-dressing in Ghana (Geoffrion 2012), I define "youth" as a liminal category that allows gender flexibility. One characteristic of the "youth" is its elasticity.…”