EVOLUTION OF THE YORÙBÁ WORD “ASẸ́WÓ”: NOW MEANING PROSTITUTE
The word “Aṣẹ́wó” with its evolved variants “Ashawo”, “Ashewo” and “Ashàwò” is a Yorùbá word used in almost all west African countries now for prostitute, women of easy virtue or, to be politically correct and gender sensitive, any type of sex worker.
The word interestingly does not mean prostitute originally because the idea of commercialization of sex is alien to Yorùbá. The word actually means “a-ṣẹ́-owó” that is, someone who make a living through (foreign) money exchange. These were women, originally traders, who by virtue of their commercial activities, especially trans-border, have money of two or more countries in different denominations. They were therefore the go-to person when a person wants to exchange shillings, francs etc in the precolonial and colonial Lagos. They charge commission on this.
However, things took different turn when white colonialists introduced monetary inducement for sexual pleasure. African man needs no prostitute because the society allows him to have a harem. It is white men working far from home and family that needs sex away from his wife. He is also handcuffed by law not to have more than one wife. Having black mistress is a taboo, though it happens.
Since these female money changers were the people white men used to have deals with covertly as it involves money, they were the easiest person to ask for such a favour. Soon, people got to know that Aṣẹ́wó people do extra things for white men more than money exchange and the name gained infamy. That was how aṣẹ́wó became the word for prostitute till today.
The Igbo and South South people also don’t have words for commercial sex worker. They have to borrow the Yorùbá word and adapt it to their tongue. Thus, Aṣẹ́wó became Ashawo. Analytically, the word Ashawo does not have meaning in their language. You have to convert it to its Yorùbá root.
The advent of Nollywood disseminate many Yòrùbá word to different countries globally and African countries lacking a vocabulary for prostitute soon borrow the word Ashawo and adopt it to their tongue as well. Thus, don’t be surprised to hear people call prostitute Ashawo in these countries: Cameroon ??, Benin ??, Togo ??, Ghana ?? and Ivory Coast to mention few.
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