#BlogFest

#50DaysCountDownTo2015 – DAY 27, Written by @willifmoore , He blogs at www.secrat.org

While chatting with a friend the other day she sent me a screen grab from a friend of hers. It was a picture of a babe asking this guy for 1000 naira for nude pictures. He went to inquire on how much for the ‘full package’ and he was left with a quotation of 20000 naira. On first impression my judgmental side was kicking and screaming, but on second thought I asked myself a simple question be reflected by a Lupe Fiasco line: I found a condom on the ground that Johns would cum into and though; what constitutes a prostitute? Is it the pursuit of profit then they drop it, the homie in a suit pat her on the butt, then rock it.

The first part of the line examines the pressure that can lead to prostitution which can be summed up as poverty (the pursuit of profit). It is easy to say poverty is no excuse. After all there are poor people that do not result to crime or prostitution. But when we take a look at statistics it is no surprise that poorer societies have a higher crime and prostitution rate. My take on this is that it is not enough for an individual to simply exist in society. As social creatures we crave acceptance and societal participation. In fact this is the motivation for most of our actions on a subconscious level. Coupled with personal responsibilities, situations, and upbringing it becomes even more difficult to judge a prostitute.

The second part of the line mentioned earlier (the homie in a suit pat her on the butt, then rock it) asks the question of what really can be classified as prostitution using ‘the homie in a suit’ as an entendre for pimps and men in positions of power over women at work places. In Niger I have heard all sorts of names, call girl, runs girl, ashawo, etc. Last time I checked any person that gives sex with financial progress as motivation is engaging in prostitution. So does this include sleeping with a boss for promotion or a producer for casting in a movie? And has it got to be full blown sex or do we count acts of sexual harassment and entertained flirtation?

What are your thoughts on the motivation behind prostitution which by all accounts is a full blown epidemic in Nigeria. And what do you think can be done to correct this crack in society? Surely, there is no prostitution gene in the country so something has to be encouraging this situation. I say it is a side-effect and not a sickness. Let’s discuss.

William Moore

www.secrat.org , Twitter – @secratorg

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