Review
------
"Though sex workers rights movements are
globally interconnected, in practice, we are still often
isolated, failing to learn from each other.To Live Freely in This
Worldserves as a source text for western sex workers to study the
success of their African counterparts. Certainly, it turns the
Eurocentric notion that western movements are somehow more
advanced right on its head." (Make/Shift)
"This book should appeal to all social work educators in general,
but it is particularly relevant for courses in diversity,
sexuality, gender inequality/women’s issues, social welfare
policy, and social justice. It would make a compelling read for
advanced year social policy course, as there is much to learn
about advocacy skills from the sex worker’s movement in Africa.
The strategies of informal and formal political resistance and
intersectional movement building illustrated in this book can be
applied to organize and energize any social movements. It is also
an excellent resource for social work practitioners who want to
understand how issues of gender and sexuality intersect with the
issues related to HIV prevention, sex work, and trafficking."
(Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work)
"The book is accessible and clear, without the use of jargon...
The people profiled clearly explain how criminal justice law and
policy and implementation affect them, preventing their ability
to access justice, as in the murders that remain uninvestigated.
The extensive profiles convey a sense of real engagement with the
people and their lives. Black and white photographs of profiled
activists humanize them; they are not merely names on the page
working in places unfamiliar to most readers... This book is
strongly recommended for classes addressing human rights,
including law and pre-law programs; undergraduate classes
examining the developing world; and women’s studies classes,
especially those looking at marginalized groups like sex workers,
and African people. The book brings attention to the murder of
sex workers, and in doing so offers hope that the growing sex
worker rights movement in Africa will see progress in promoting
human rights and combating indifference." (International Journal
of Feminist Politics)
"This monograph presents the first book-length study on sex
workers activism in Africa, and it makes an important
contribution, not only to feminist debates about sex work, but
also to the scholarship of social movements and activism in
contemporary Africa." (African Affairs)
"By taking the sex worker's narratives as data, Mgbako paints a
picture of a more layered landscape to sex work activism than
what we normally hear about on an international level."
(Feministing.com)
"Mgbako's incomparable To Live Freely in This World brings
readers the here-and-now stories of African sex workers who are
fighting for human rights. As the author reminds us, their
struggles for dignity and respect were born in the anti-colonial
and anti-apartheid movements of earlier times, and are being
revitalized through this new century's network of sex worker
activists from around the world." (Melinda Chateauvert,author of
Sex Workers Unite! A History of the Movement from Stonewall to
SlutWalk)
"A detailed study of the history and ongoing activism of the sex
workers’ movement in Africa. It shows how this young movement is
blossoming – despite pervasive challenges – and contributes an
African perspective to feminist debate about sex work. Based on a
wide range of interviews and participant observation from
fieldwork in seven focus countries (Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius,
Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, and Nigeria), the author argues
that African sex worker activists determine their social and
political e through strategic, informed choices … As scholars
endeavor to fill literature gaps related to sex workers’ rights
(in Africa, as well as centering on movements in the United
States, Europe, and Asia), this book provides a critical resource
for policy makers, students, and those interested in furthering
their knowledge of debates related to sex workers’ rights."
(Human Rights Review)
"Mgbako’s groundbreaking project champions the human rights and
agency of these workers and documents their increasing
activism... To Live Freely in This World is well-written and
engaging. The author includes many notes and a lengthy
bibliography of scholarly and legal sources. The greatest
strength of the work, however, is the collective testimony Mgbako
presents from transcribed interviews with a range of sex workers,
revealing their determination and commitment to reach out to
other activists locally and globally to move their cause forward.
These first-person accounts, coupled with the author’s perceptive
analysis of the methods and strategies for building activism,
make for a profound work that enhances not only the study of sex
workers in particular but also feminist scholarship in general. A
vital addition to academic collections." (Feminist Collections)
"To say this is a groundbreaking book is an understatement.
Well-written and elegant, Mgbako'sresearch reveals the rise of
African sex work activism and the ongoing trials and tribulations
of organizing in the face of economic, social, and political
adversity. As one of the worlds foremost scholars on sex work in
Africa, Mgbako'sincisive analysis allows us to explore questions
of human rights, consent, and coercion in the sex work context.
This book will change the conversation about sex work in Africa,
and globally, while forcing those who resist sex worker
organizing to confront a movement that has only just be."
(Aziza Ahmed,Northeastern University)
"
Mgbako contributes to closing a gap in knowledge on sex work and
sex work activism in Africa. The book’s anchoring in personal
stories and experiences of sex workers is an attempt to move away
from the tendency of non-sex workers to speak for sex workers,
and to let the latter speak for themselves. Fortunately, as is
shown throughout the book, African sex workers are independently
and fiercely creating
more and more platforms from where to speak and be heard.
" (Feminist Review)
Read more ( javascript:void(0) )
About the Author
----------------
Chi Adanna Mgbako is Clinical Professor of Law
and Director of the Walter Leitner International Human Rights
Clinic in the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice at
Fordham Law School.
Read more ( javascript:void(0) )
