Jude Dibia

“The novel’s influence extends beyond literature into broader conversations about identity, belonging, and resistance in postcolonial Africa. By centring a gay Nigerian man’s experience without sensationalism or tragedy, Dibia challenged not only homophobic attitudes but also Western narratives that often portrayed African queerness as either non-existent or inevitably doomed.”

“That yellow house wey get green-white-green for doormat and opposite am you go see Mama Sikirat beer parlour or when you reach the end of the street, you go see one plank like bridge wey dey near Holy Ghost Church, cross am and in front you go see the house wey get tap for de front.””

“Once you set foot in Underground City, you felt its touch and its breath on you.”

“A conglomeration of roguishly built shanty homes, it flanked the Sambo creek, a torrid expanse of water twisting like loins to the sea.”

“She stared at her reflection in the huge mirror… she hated the sight that greeted her – the large landscape of a forehead, the flared nostrils that were begging for a surgeon’s knife, the puffy lips, the spaced out eyes and the gap between the two incisors, which could clearly accommodate another tooth. She was a monstrosity to look at without make-up.”

“The ocean refused to be still; it took more, claimed more, and retreated less but paradoxically the hungry sea left behind more of its unwanted children, its vomit littering Scorpion’s little patch of beach-front: a seagull’s skull, uncapped beer bottles, horse scat, empty packets of cigarettes, the left foot of a size twelve shoe, a dead army of used condoms, and an old deflated football.”

“Literature is like a time capsule that captures not just the visuals of what life is, but also manages to capture emotions and document them albeit for entertainment, escape or knowledge.”

“I wanted to acknowledge the most basic and simple reality: gay people exist in African society.”

“When I go to literature or books, I am either looking for escape, answers or better insights on issues and things. I think if you are a gay boy or girl who is going through doubts and depression, a book, music, film or just visual arts with images that reflect who you are goes a long way in reaffirming that you matter, that you exist, and that you are not alone.”

“It’s a fascinating question because AI has become almost impossible to avoid. Whether we’re using word processors, search engines or research tools, some form of artificial intelligence is already embedded in much of the technology writers rely on. The conversation has therefore shifted from whether we use AI to how we use it.”

“Looking back across my novels, I think I’ve been writing about the same things without always realising it. Belonging. Acceptance. The longing to be seen for who we truly are rather than who society expects us to be. Those concerns have appeared in different forms and through different characters, but they’ve remained remarkably constant. Perhaps that’s because they’re not simply literary concerns; they’re deeply human ones.”

“I’ve always believed literature can enlarge our capacity for empathy. A novel allows us to inhabit a life that isn’t our own, to suspend judgement long enough to understand another person’s humanity. That, to me, is one of fiction’s greatest gifts.”