Sex is a taboo topic in Ghanaian households, however, it has transcended cultural boundaries and dominated media conversations from social media to traditional media in the form of news and entertainment.
Among the top 10 websites that Ghanaians visited the most in 2021, two were pornography websites. This is according to the online visibility management and content marketing platform, semrush.com. This statistic drives the argument that Ghanaians may not want to discuss sex, but there is interest in the topic.
2022 was a melting point of several sexual discussions and this article seeks to highlight the most prominent ones that shook the foundations of Ghanaian culture.
Gay rights and the anti-LGBTQ+ bill in parliament
The 2021 discussion about criminalizing homosexuality and advocacy for gay rights crossed into 2022 after the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill was introduced in parliament in March 2021.
The Bill divided the Ghanaian populace into those in support of gay rights and those against it who have been largely described as homophobic. The latter often sexualize homosexuality on social media leaving the conversation to be about sex than personality.
Sam George is an MP leading the support for the anti-LGBTQ+ bill
Flogging of a couple in a viral sex tape in Wa
In June 2022, a video showing the public flogging of a couple in Wa trended on social media sparking a debate about the consequences of recording sex tapes.
The couple had earlier recorded their sexual activity, and it went viral in their community sparking outrage from community leaders who sanctioned the public flogging.
The conversations were not conclusive on whether it is acceptable to record sex acts in private or not. But it was generally against public flogging.
The couple who were flogged in public
Afia Schwarzenegger’s alleged sexual relations with Chairman Wontumi
Since the issue is still in court, we can’t say much but highlight it as one of the issues that sparked conversations on social media. She swore with a bottle of schnapps and cracked eggs that she has slept with Chairman Wontumi and he filed a GHC 2,000,000 defamation suit against her.
Afia Schwarzenegger and Chairman Wontumi
Serwaa Broni presidential affair
It was a roller coaster with the Serwaa Broni scandal which alleged that President Akufo-Addo was having an extra-marital affair with a Canada-based Ghanaian woman who shared images and chats to prove her claim. She also accused security operatives of attacking her to recover the evidence she claims to have had.
This allegation sparked a lot of discussion about sexual relations between public figures and how they protect their images and the affair from leaking. Bloggers and politicians had a field day and there was no reaction from the president. The discussion on this topic may not make it to 2023.
President Akufo-Addo and Serwaa Broni
President Akufo-Addo and Serwaa Broni