DOCUMENTARY
Powerful Acts of Resistance
Documentary highlights the lives of LGBTQ Nigerians
BY GARY M. KRAMER
In Nigeria, homosexuality
is criminalized. As a newscaster
reports, “Gay couples
can be imprisoned for
14 years. Gay clubs are outlawed
— as are meetings between gay
people.” What is more, even being
perceived as being gay can generate
an equally harsh prison sentence.
And when LGBTQ folks —
or those perceived of being LGBTQ
— are arrested, the authorities often
want them to divulge names of
friends or other LGBTQ individuals
so they can arrest and prosecute
them too. (Cell phone contacts are
often examined for this purpose).
The impactful documentary,
“The Legend of the Underground,”
reveals acts of resistance that
members of the Nigerian LGBTQ
community are doing in Lagos and
New York City. The fi lm, directed
by Nneka Onuorah and Giselle
Bailey, concentrates on a handful
of men as they eke out their lives
and go “underground” to meet or
attend parties. Timi, who hosts the
QueerCity podcast, reports about
this community that is living “in
fear and violation” while they also
try to live authentically.
Michael Ighodaro, an activist
and advocate, is a queer Nigerian
refugee living in New York City. He
recounts his decision to leave Nigeria
for the US after he was attacked
in his homeland. He describes the
risks he faces, but also explains
the strategies he and other gay
men use to operate discretely, such
as coded words. Asking someone
if they are “TB,” he says, is a way
Denele in “The Legend of the Underground”
to confi rm if they are gay. In the
fi lm, Michael returns to Nigeria —
despite the risks of such a trip —
after a long absence to learn the
stories of other gay men.
One of the people Michael meets in
Lagos is James Brown, who was arrested
in 2018 — along with 57 other
men attending a party — and got accused
of being homosexual. Brown
challenged the police at the time of
his arrest, asking if it was a crime to
attend a party and perform. He insists
that he was not caught performing
a sexual act (which is illegal) and
his remark, “You didn’t caught me,”
became a viral sensation.
Moreover, Brown became a hero
for the LGBTQ community in Nigeria,
and his status as a social media
infl uencer skyrocketed. He wants to
inspire people; however, Brown also
received considerable backlash in
the form of harassment and hatred
verbally, in public, and on his social
media channels. As his case goes to
court, there are numerous delays, a
tactic the authorities use to extend
the time needed to collect evidence to
substantiate their charges. “The Legend
DDCOURTESY OF HBO
of the Underground” shows it can
be a hardship for those arrested to
repeatedly have to return to court for
trials that are rescheduled, particularly
if they want to study abroad.
Onuorah and Bailey’s involving
documentary shows the solidarity
of these men whose activism is
for the greater good of the community.
They “do for each other,” noting
that it is better than “what a
white man can do for us.” As such,
they attend support groups, such
➤ UNDERGROUND, continued on p.72
➤ JUMP, continued on p.70
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