Sutura (discretion, modesty) is a central element in Senegalese Wolof culture that, among other things, promotes feminine honour through chastity, silence with regard to discussing sexuality with elders, and refraining from articulating same-sex desires in general. Consequently, sutura is seen as limiting the space for non-normative sexualities. However, lesbiennes in Senegal strategically employ sutura to navigate this gender and sexual normativity, whereby they queer the initially heteronormative framework. This article explores how, at the frontiers of international sexual rights activism and its antithetical Islamic social code, young women open new avenues for thinking queer Africa. The article explores young women's diverse tactics to turn sutura from a heteronormative framework into a vehicle for queer expression. These women demonstrate the constant yet indeterminate possibilities to negotiate between normative expectations and queer lives. They furthermore propose an alternative to the international queer frontier of overt resistance and protest, and suggest that the silences that sutura prescribe are more productive for queering their urban environment. By balancing the simultaneous desires of same-sex intimacies, family life, societal expectations and urban success, these women are pioneers in offering new routes for ‘queering queer Africa’, as Stella Nyanzi has described it.

Sutura（自由，谦虚）是塞内加尔沃洛夫文化的核心要素，除其他外，它通过贞操，与长辈讨论性行为方面保持沉默并在总体上不表达同性欲望，从而提高了女性荣誉感。因此，sutura被视为限制了非规范性行为的空间。但是，塞内加尔的女同性恋者在战略上采用了sutura来引导这种性别和性规范，从而质疑最初的异规范框架。本文探讨了在国际性权利激进主义及其对立的伊斯兰社会法典的前沿，年轻女性如何为思考非洲的人们开辟新途径。文章探讨了年轻女性的转变策略sutura从异规范框架变成了表达酷儿的载体。这些妇女表现出在规范性期望和酷儿生活之间进行谈判的持续但不确定的可能性。他们还提出了替代国际同志抵抗和公开抗议的前沿阵线的替代方案，并建议sutura规定的沉默对于提高其城市环境的生产率将更为有效。正如斯特拉·恩扬兹（Stella Nyanzi）所描述的那样，通过平衡同性亲密感，家庭生活，社会期望和城市成功的同时渴望，这些女性成为提供“酷爱非洲”新途径的先驱。