The Africa Cup of Nations begins shortly. There will be a lot of focus on the star soccer players – some of whom I played against in the Premier League – and any ‘deviant’ behaviour they might display off the pitch. Don’t forget that – according to a recent survey – one in six of these guys has some form of history of cross-dressing. It might be interesting to try to identify who the cross dressers are. And don’t forget the fans. Some of them will cross-dress as a way of establishing their identity as fans of a particular team.
In Africa cross-dressing has a rich, deep traditional history; and was often a way of building a bridge between this world and the spiritual realms that tribal leaders needed to rule in peace and harmony.
The Meru ritual leaders – called Mugawe among the Meru of Kenya, dress as women routinely and sometimes even marry other men. Among the Dagara of Burkina Faso, the cross-dresser is said to be well integrated into the community, occupying a performance role of intermediary between this world and the other world, as a sort of “gatekeeper”. The Ambo of Angola had a special order of diviner, called the Omasenge, who dressed as women, did women’s work, and contracted marriage with other men who might also be married to women. In the case of the Zande of the Central African Republic, cross dressing
was said to profit the diviner, and would take place before the consultation of oracles. The Wodaabe tribe in Niger have beauty contests for men! – and consider themselves the most beautiful people on the planet. The Wodaabe culture is one of the 186 cultures of the standard cross-cultural sample used by anthropologists to compare cultural traits. See Werner Herzog’s movie – Herdsmen of the Sun.
Have a look, too, at RED DRESS REVOLUTION – this is my life story as penned by Peter McGarry. The poignant moments when I was first discovered by mum wearing her Sunday best is something that all cross dressers will all identify with. If you’re a cross-dresser and a sports fan this book is unmissable! You will also be supporting this blog and our attempt to raise the profile of cross-dressing – especially amongst football fans!
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