Queer Identity Politics and Exclusion: A Discourse on Chinelo Okparanta’s Under the Udala Trees

Abstract

Anti-LGBT advocacy manifests in various spheres that stalk the progress of the pro-LGBT agenda, as they base their arguments on religion, culture, tradition, and the statutory laws of the country. One of the most contentious issues related to queer sexualities relates to the arguments between the inclusion and exclusion of queers in social, political, religious, and cultural matters. While new frontiers for assessment are rapidly emerging across the African continent, pro-LGBTQIA+ advocates appear to have already established boundaries by criticising the exclusion of homosexuals and advocating for comprehensive inclusion. However, the reception of homosexuality is still largely hostile, and literary artists continue to push for equality of gender and sexuality. In Nigeria, homosexuality and same-sex marriage were criminalised in 2014; in spite of being crimes, they are also generally considered alterations to cultural and religious ordinances. Therefore, society often excludes queers from its mainstream as a form of punishment and a strategy to 'curb' the spread of homosexuality. Reading from a queer theory-informed perspective, this paper examines the patterns of exclusion and their effects on the social relationships of queer individuals as portrayed in Chinelo Okparanta's novel, Under the Udala Trees (2016).