8 Works of Queer/LGBTIA+ fiction by African Writers

It is not in contention that African writers have always featured queer Africans in fiction, however, it is equally true that queerness has historically been considered an import to Africa. This is evidenced by the traditional depiction of gay, lesbian, or bisexual characters in literature as one dimensional; as characters who only serve as cautionary tales of the negative effects of westernization on African societies. In the last couple of years, however, I have engaged and read a refreshing and new age queer literature that moves away from this one-dimensional, cautionary tale depiction to embracing the queer experience of Africans on the continent and diaspora in it's fullness. Where queer Africans are seen as full human beings.

I share a list of some of the phenomenal works of African Queer Fiction I have encountered.

Under the Udala Tree by Chinelo Okparanta (published 2015) - Nigeria

Ijeoma was just 11 years old when war ravished her home and took away her father. Her disillusioned mother, left with no other option, and no means, sends her off to live with another family, The Grammar School teacher and his wife in a neighbouring village. It is here that Ijeoma, an Igbo girl, meets Amina, a Hausa Muslim girl – a meeting that will ultimately change the course of the story and Ijeoma’s life.

Under the Udala Trees, follows the life of Ijeoma is growing up a lesbian girl in a homophobic Nigeria in the 1970s. She struggles with her sexual identity and under the weight of societal, religious and her mother’s expectations of her – she decided to abandon her true self and settle for a heterosexual union. But can one ever truly run away from who they are?

This book goes to show how as Africans we base most of our decisions and religious and societal expectations and emphasises the need to live our true authentic selves, letting the world catch on and follow suit. Okparanta tackles a very sensitive subject and tells the story beautifully without imposing herself on the reader which makes it an absolute page turner.

The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu (Published 2015) - Zimbabwe

Vimbai is the self-proclaimed “best” hairdresser of Harare working at Mrs.Khumalo’s salon – an upmarket Salon in Harare catering to wealthier Harare women, and a favourite because it make them feel as European as possible. This is a title Vimbai carries self- assuredly and arrogantly, until the charming, good looking young man, Dumisani, walks into the salon looking for a job and is hired on the spot, swiftly dethroning Vimbai and creating a formidable enemy in her.

This enmity however gradually transitions into a friendship once Dumisani becomes a lodger in Vimbai’ s house. He even makes her believe that they are in a romantic relationship and invites her to his family function, much to the relief of his family. This relationship is however marred by lies and deceit and when the cracks begin forming; Vimbai makes a decision that has tragic consequences for both of them.

This is a powerful story set against the backdrop of Mugabe’s Zimbabwe and explores day to day life of Zimbabweans trying to make the most of their lives amidst a struggling economy. It is a beautifully written story of the human spirit – of endurance, jealousy, friendship, sexual identity and betrayal.

La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono (Equatorial Guinea)

The first novel by an Equatorial Guinean woman to be translated into English, La Bastarda is the story of the orphaned teen Okomo, who lives under the watchful eye of her strict grandmother and dreams of finding her father. Forbidden from seeking him out, she enlists the help of other village outcasts: her gay uncle, described by his community as a ‘man-woman’ and a group of mysterious girls – Pilar and Linda - who live in the forest, a place where they can be ‘free’. Okomo finds herself falling in love with their leader and embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will allow her to seek out her missing father and lead her to her true self.

La Bastarda looks at the ways in which traditional roles can stifle identity. It is a book explicitly about Gender and sexuality and makes a significant contribution to queer literary culture.

Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala – (Published 2018) - Nigeria

Niru is an 18 year old Nigerian-American male living in Washington D.C with his parents. His is a life of privilege and he seems to have everything going for him – his family is well to do, he is Harvard bound and is the school’s track star. He is however, a closeted gay man. When his best friend Meredith, a white American girl, makes a pass at him hoping to steer their friendship in a different direction, Niru reveals to her that he is gay. She is surprisingly very supporting and volunteers to sign Niru up to online dating sites. However, when his strict Nigerian father accidentally finds out about his sexual identity, all hell breaks loose and he is forcefully taken back to Nigeria for spiritual intervention and conversion therapy.

On the other hand, Meredith, also from a privileged background is fighting her own demons and has little left to offer in terms of support for her friend. As the two friends struggle to reconcile their desires against the expectations and institutions that seek to define them, they find themselves speeding toward a violent future with devastating consequences for all of them.

The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany – (Published 2006) - Egypt

The Yacoubian Building, a once opulent apartment complex in downtown Cairo, built originally for Egypt’s upper echelon and now slowly decaying, is home cum office cum business premise for the multitude of Egyptians who rent rooms here. It is here where their lives cross, where they dare to dream and have these dreams shattered. It is here where they dare to love and lose and also where their hopes and aspirations meet.

Aswany tackles a myriad of characters whose lives intersect as they try to find their place in their ever changing socio political and economic environment. Aswany is able to beautifuly weave together a story including multiple characters and themes, with, homosexuality, a taboo topic in this otherwise conservative society, serving as a central theme as played out by Newspaper editor Hatim Rashid and his gay closeted and married lover. The Yacoubian Building is in essence a metaphor for the Egyptian society and this Aswany uses this metaphor as an important window on to the experience of loss and love in the Arab world

The Quiet Violence of Dreams by K. Sello Duiker (Published 2002) – South Africa

The Quiet Violence of Dreams follows the life of Tshepo, a young black man recently released from a mental institution after being admitted for cannabis-induced psychosis and vividly explores his journey of questioning and understanding his sexuality and masculinity as a black man in post-1994 South Africa.

The narrative is made up of alternating points of view of Tshepo, his friends and people he meets along the way at the psychiatric institution, his home, and work. He struggles with mental illness and the horrible system that underlies his treatment at the institution

After he completes his treatment, he finds work at a male massage parlour, going by the pseudonym - Angelo. Her he begins to explore and come to terms with his sexuality, sexual orientation and his place in the world.

An ordinary Wonder by Buki Papillon

Richly imagined with art, proverbs and folk tales, this moving and modern novel follows Otolorin Akinro, raised as a boy and deeply convicted that she is a girl, in a grand but unhappy family in Southeastern Nigeria. Oto escapes to boarding school knowing two things: she is truly a girl, and to stay safe, she must hide that truth.

Away from the cruelty of her childhood home, Oto blooms even as she strives to be the best boy she can, finding true friendship and working hard to earn a scholarship to an American university, hoping someone out there might help her understand the secrets her body holds.

But she cannot stay away forever. Back home for the holidays, though Oto and her beloved twin sister are overjoyed to see each other, their mother's violence erupts once more and when a terrible incident rips their lives apart, Oto is left alone.

As her world goes up in flames, can she rebuild a life from the ashes of her true self?

"An Ordinary Wonder," by Buki Papillon, highlights the limiting dangers of the gender binary, while also reminding us of the power storytelling has to help us envision a more expansive and inclusive world." - Sol Cotti

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

The novel is set in southeastern Nigeria during the 1980s and ’90s and begins with the death of Vivek Oji, told through a series of flashback in a nonlinear narrative.

One afternoon, in a town in Southeastern Nigeria, a mother opens her front door to discover her son’s body, wrapped in colourful fabric, at her feet. What follows is the tumultuous, heart-wrenching story of one family’s struggle to understand a child whose spirit is both gentle and mysterious. Raised by a distant father and an understanding but overprotective mother, Vivek suffers disorienting blackouts, moments of disconnection between self and surroundings.

As adolescence gives way to adulthood, Vivek finds solace in friendships with the warm, boisterous daughters of the Nigerwives, foreign-born women married to Nigerian men. But Vivek’s closest bond is with Osita, the worldly, high-spirited cousin whose teasing confidence masks a guarded private life. As their relationship deepens—and Osita struggles to understand Vivek’s escalating crisis—the mystery gives way to a heart-stopping act of violence in a moment of exhilarating freedom.

The Death of Vivek Oji is a novel of family and friendship that challenges expectations—a dramatic story of loss and transcendence that will move every reader.

If you're looking to diversify your reading of literature from Africa, you will benefit greatly from adding these to your reading list. Enjoy!