Author Arinze Ifeakandu shines a light on gay Nigerian lives
Nigerian author Arinze Ifeakandu has often dreamed of a society where gay people do not have to hide their love or live in fear of homophobic hate.
But LGBTQ+ people are pushing back against repression through creativity and community, said Ifeakandu, whose debut book “God’s Children are Little Broken Things” won the prestigious Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize for literature this month. “I always believe in the agency of people,” said Ifeakandu, 28, whose book follows nine stories of LGBTQ+ men in Nigeria. “And when you push people, (they will say), ‘Look, I don’t have a choice about who I am.
So I (need to) find a way to survive in this society.'” There is limited gay representation in arts and media across Africa, where more than half of nations ban gay sex, but Ifeakandu is among a growing number of writers and creatives telling LGBTQ+ stories across the continent.
Nigeria is a deeply religious country, where many reject homosexuality as a corrupting Western import. In 2014, the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act was signed into law, which bars not only gay relationships but also any public sign of same-sex affection or membership of LGBTQ+ groups, with punishments of up to 14 years in prison.
