Page 52 - Q1 2021

FEATURE

TRADE AS

OLD AS TIME

By Zeina I. Otonjo

One of the oldest trades boisterous, dressed in really
of mankind, has to be revealing clothes, big hair, purple
Prostitution. Not only, is it lipstick and shouting ‘Customer,
the oldest profession, it has how today?’. We were passing
spurred the most controversial the popular Polo club, so for the
conversations. Amongst life of this 9-year-old, I couldn’t
individuals, organisations and figure out what they were selling.
more recently, among feminist There were no stalls, but a lot of
groups and human rights cars lined up and a row of ‘oyibo’
advocacy camps. or ‘Ipaa’ (the older Caucasians)
men and residents alighting to
My first encounter with a speak with them.
commercial sex worker must
have been in the early 90’s. As a In retrospect, I never actually
young kid growing up in the city figured out the moment I knew
of Port Harcourt in Nigeria, the they were prostitutes, but fast
oil service companies were in full forward to my adolescent years,
swing with foreign expatriates there was still a high influx
and the bars, gardens, casinos of these workers and many
and clubs were always buzzing. stories revolving around their
Nightlife meant big bucks and life and business. My aunts
big bucks meant ‘the girls’ would gossip during laundry,
would always come out to play. about experiences they’d had;
extended family members would
I remember sitting in the back of use all kinds of terms to address
my mother’s vehicle, riding the them in conversations, teachers
evening trip from the hair salon; would threaten young girls at
I spotted these young women school who were unserious,

52 | The Lion King | Jan - Mar 2021