June, pride month, is gone now, yes but no the pride flag isn’t down; not for the community in Africa. In this opinion piece, Elvis Osifo speaks to openly trans woman Fola Francis on authenticity and acceptance for the Nigerian LGBT community.
The saddest part about living in Nigeria irrespective of the country’s current economic situation, or position as one of the top 20 most corrupt nations in the world, would be her illiberalism and total annihilation to the concept of love and freedom. Nigeria still doesn’t accept her own people. Just like most part of the world, there are still some reservations when it comes to gender and equality, and the dynamics of femininity and queerness is still viewed with the lens of marginality. However, unlike most parts of the world, Nigeria is very much against love — with the SSMPA going on — and still far from accepting her own LGBTQIA+ community.
The SSMPA (Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act) that was signed into law in 2014 by then-president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, still vividly puts a knife on the bubbles of the existence of lgbt individuals living in Nigeria. The act threatens a 14-year jail term for anyone caught in a same-sex relationships or dealings. This has also given room and opportunity to certain individuals (homophobes) taking decisions to provoke or oppress the lgbt community, or anyone as a matter of fact, that may raise a question of unconventionality to their preconceived ideas of normalcy, whether in fashion, mannerisms, or self expression. So, being queer in Nigeria puts a target on one’s back.
The sad reality and dangers of being queer, and living in Nigeria has not stopped some members of the community from living their full and authentic lives. In the past we’ve seen a lot of queer people lose their lifes because of not giving in to the oppression, muffling, or provocation of the Nigerian society. The journey to complete freedom and acceptance of the lgbt has been very rigid and nerve racking. This is why Pride; a period to celebrate, yet reflect on the experiences of the Nigerian queer community, is very important.
Pride to me is like Christmas. It’s the time where we reflect on how far we’ve come as queer people.
Fola Francis, 2022
Ms. Fola Francis, an openly trans woman who knows the risk of wearing her femininity and identity on her sleeves, but still refuses to conform to societal expectations of her, thinks that a big part of commemorating pride should be the reflection of the lgbt journey, struggles, experiences, and the lives of amazing queer individuals lost. “Pride to me is that time we have to reflect on our journey, to reflect on the core of our existence.” — she tells Moda Culture.
Although, globally, a big part of celebrating Pride month involves the colorful parades, loud marches, extravagant balls, and wild parties, Ms. Fola urges her Nigerian queer siblings to ruminate on how far the community has come in the quest for freedom and acceptance. “I mean, we don’t have any noteworthy events that we can say pride stands for in Nigeria or anything like that, not yet anyway, but just little milestones here and there. So it’s very important for us to take this moment to reflect, and also honour those people that have laid down their lives for us in the past; people like Area Scatter, Bamanga Rabiu, people that have died by being kitoed — there are so many people that have died — we should all just reel in this moment to remember them,” she says.
I’m taking a step back to reflect on how far I’ve come, from where I used to be before in my past, and where I am now, fully settled in my gender identity.
Fola Francis, Moda Culture 2022
Globally, a lot of individuals have died for this cause. And it is the commemoration of their sacrifices that has led to this celebration in the first place; so, Fola’s stand on the subject of a more local and indegenous reflection does not seem out of place, plus it has also become a personal course for her as she fully settles in her identity as a Transwoman. “It’s a full circle moment for me “ — she says.
