Our forefathers had better sex - Myne Whitman

US-based Nigerian writer and blogger, Myne Whitman has told HealthNewsNG our forefathers probably had better sex as suggested by the fattening rooms where young women were taught how they can enjoy sex with their husbands.

"I wasn't there at the time of our fore-fathers so I couldn't really say. But the fattening rooms of time past is also said to be venues to teach young women how they can enjoy sex with their husbands so they probably had it good. Today, some of that culture has been lost as some people have perverted religion to serve their own needs to control everyone," Whitman told HealthNewsNG.

She noted that the low level of public conversation on sexual health is to a large extent one of the reasons why diseases such as AIDS and sexually transmitted infections are responsible for high mortality rate in Nigeria.

She said: "AIDS became a huge deal after I just entered secondary school. It captured my interest, and from then, and until I finished university, I campaigned for the control and prevention of HIV/AIDS and other STIs through education and empowerment of young people. These diseases continue to be a problem for Africans because of lack of knowledge and awareness."

On her passion for sexual health, she said she developed interest in the genre during childhood.

"I've always been interested in the topic of sex as it affects our health. I read a lot of books as a child, both local and foreign and it didn't take long to realize that this sex I read in books was rarely talked about by those around me. Being that I can sometimes be a rebel, I decided that I would be the type that talked about sex as an adult," she told HealthNewsNG.

Concerning pornography, Whitman noted it could be useful or degrading.

She said: "Pornography can be useful or it can be degrading also. Where it is used as instruction to novice couples, or an accessory to enjoying sex, it is very welcome. However, some go all the way to other extreme, promoting lifestyles that are detrimental to physical and mental health."

On the recent ban placed on homosexuality in Nigeria by federal lawmakers, she said gays have been in Africa for long and the passage of the law wasn't a consensus reached by all Nigerians.

"It refers to a few influential people using their positions to try to force the rest of us to do what they like. NOT what the law says, nor what the tradition shows. There have been gay people in Africa for as long as people can tell," she told HealthNewsNG.

According to her, every person "should have the right to live their sexual life in the manner that suits them as long as it does not infringe on others' rights."

She also gave recommendations on how couples can improve their sex lives.

She said: "Enjoying sex begins in the mind and head. People should shed the prudish mannerisms that prevent them from fully enjoying sex.

 

"The best way to do sex is to be open and share your needs and desires."

On the right age a lady should start having sex, she said a university degree is essential. If this is not possible, she suggested a lady should be 21 years old.

"I'm of the opinion that one should finish university or be 21, whichever comes later, before they start romantic dating. Before then, they can have friends of  both genders and concentrate on their studies and getting to know themselves and what they want for their future," Whitman told HealthNewsNG.

Whitman also corrected the notion that virgins are few in Nigeria.

She said: "There are virgins everywhere, even at 40 some men and women are still virgins. I don't know where people get the idea that they're decreasing. That one talks about sex does not mean they're horny, sex-charged or promiscuous, it just means you're better informed. And always one who has more information can make better decisions."