Sexual Identities in Africa: A queer reading of Chinelo Okparanta’s under the Udala trees

Abstract

In Africa, queer sexual identities have received mixed feelings, leading to the debate in a bid to clearly define the legalization or non-legalization of it in various countries. And, looking at the current changing trends of this concept in Africa, the selected literary text happens to situate itself well within the fluid queer discourse. It follows then that the text provides the sub-plot of characters that have an overtly queer erotic and queer social bonding with some other characters. Consequently, the crust of this study is to draw on the broader queer concept in interrogating some pressing concerns of queer sexual identities in Okparanta‟s Under the Udala Trees. Among other things, the research demonstrates how contemporary works of fiction like Under the Udala Trees use their narratives to conceive space and language whose midpoint encompasses literary innovations and the significance of some experiences of queer individuals within an African setting. The study ultimately uncovers the literary merits of queer sexualities in Okparanta‟s Under the Udala Trees instead of simply portraying these sexualities as alternative solutions in adverse conditions to some individuals who cannot help being the way they are.