HOMOSEXUALITY IN JUDE DIBIA’S WALKING WITH SHADOWS AND WOLE SOYINKA’S THE INTERPRETERS

ABSTRACT

The theme of homosexuality though still in its infant stage in African literature is one worthy of serious academic attention and exploration as it has become quite topical in recent times the world over. Over the years, there have been several portrayals of gayness in African works and that is what this research investigated in Jude Dibia‘s Walking with Shadows and Wole Soyinka‘s The Interpreters. Until recently, African authors have always represented gayness in the negative light and unsympathetically. It has however been discovered that currently a few African works have portrayed it positively and even sympathetically as could be seen in Jude Dibia‘s Walking with Shadows. The two main portrayals of gayness in African literature are sympathetic/positive portrayal and unsympathetic/negative portrayal which the two Nigeria works under study Jude Dibia‘s Walking with Shadows and Wole Soyinka‘s The Interpreters represent respectively. The duo portray homosexuality in two opposite directions; sympathetically and unsympathetically respectively. Both authors made extensive use of literary devices in portraying homosexuality in their individual novels.  This research work looked at the following as it discussed the subject of homosexuality in the selected texts: how gayness emerge in the selected works, what goes on in the minds of some of the characters especially the gay and of course the attitude of the other characters towards the gay. This research work did a psychoanalytical study of some characters in the texts in order to understand the thoughts of the key players in the individual texts and their attitudes toward gayness.

CHAPTER ONE

THE CONCEPT OF HOMOSEXUALITY

1.0: INTRODUCTION

The concept of homosexuality in African literature is not altogether new, but the issue has recently become a topical one across the countries of the world and is gradually asserting itself in the literary terrain; therefore it deserves being explored.  Hitherto, African writers in general and Nigerian writers in particular shy away from the subject of homosexuality which is not only sensitive but equally controversial. They explore other themes but pay little or no attention to gayness. In the 1960s and afterwards, a body of African works explore gayness in different degrees. Most African writers at that time depicted gayness usually in the negative light, as a taboo, moral depravity, anomaly, unAfrican and a western construct. The colonial masters and a host of other foreigners were portrayed as having initiated, practised and promoted same-sex relationships. Works like Kofi Awoonor‘s This Earth, My Brother, Yambo Ouologuem‘s Bound to Violence, Wole Soyinka‘s The Interpreters, Mariama Ba‘s Scarlet Song, Ayi Kwei Armah‘s Two Thousand Seasons and Ama Ata Aidoo‘s Our Sister Killjoy are typical examples of such portrayals.

1.1: BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

This work will give attention to the concept/meaning of gayness, origin, types and attitudes exhibited towards gayness, and of course the portrayal of gayness in African literature. It will equally investigate the manner in which the selected novels, Wole Soyinka‘s The Interpreters and   Jude   Dibia‘s   Walking   with   Shadows   represent   and   explore   gayness   using   the psychoanalytical literary approach which is very appropriate for analyzing representations of this kind. Psychoanalysis is employed in the analysis of both texts in order to understand the

workings of the minds of the gay characters, the origin of their sexuality and also the basis for their mode of representation.

1.1.1: Meaning of Homosexuality/Gayness

According to Peter Nardi, the term ‗gay‘  ―evolved out of the concepts of heterosexuality and homosexuality, where the notion of heterosexuality was considered normal and homosexuality abnormal‖(1-11). Also in Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression in Social Work  Practice:  Working  with  Gay,  Lesbian,  Bisexual  and  Transgender  People,  Deana  F. Morrow  and  Lori  Messinger  observe  that,  ―gay  refers  to  people  (male  or  female)  whose principal intimate attractions and romantic relationships are toward other people of the same sex. Lesbian refers specifically to women whose principal intimate attractions and romantic relationships are toward other women. Some women prefer to describe themselves as gay, while others prefer to describe themselves as lesbian‖(7).

For the purpose of this study, gayness would be used interchangeably with homosexuality to avoid ambiguity because many authorities use gay to mean homosexual and vice versa. Female homosexuality is called lesbianism. A gay is one who is sexually attracted to members of his own sex and not the opposite sex. When a man is sexually attracted to his fellow men rather than women, he is said to be gay and when a woman is sexually attracted to other women and not men, she is also said to be gay. A gay woman is called a lesbian. The word ‗gay‘ became recognized in the 1960s as the suitable word used by homosexuals in describing themselves especially in the English-speaking parts of the world where it is preferable. ‗Gay‘ can hardly be used to mean happy in recent times because it is naturally taken to mean men and women who are sexually orientated towards members of their own sex. Major Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transexual groups (LGBT) and Style guides by the end of the 20th century recommended the word gay as proper for describing people who are attracted to members of their own sex. Daven Hiskey in ―How ‗Gay‘ Came to Mean ‗Homosexual‘‘ explains that:

By 1955 the word gay now officially acquired the new added definition of meaning homosexual males. Gay men themselves seem to have been behind the driving  thrust  for  this  new  definition  as  they  felt  (and  most  still  do),  that

―homosexual‖ is much too clinical sounding and is often thought as offensive among gay people due to sounding like a disorder. As such, it was common amongst themselves to refer to one another as gay decades before this was a commonly known definition (reportedly homosexual men were calling one another gay as early as the 1920s). At this time, homosexual women were referred to as lesbians, not gay.

Gayness has been explored and defined by various authorities, but like other disciplines there is no all-encompassing definition till date. However, authorities seem to be in agreement as to the meaning of gay/gayness. Many have declared that ―gay‖ means homosexual but a more polite nomenclature than homosexual which, according to some, appears too clinical and implies a certain kind of mental illness while others suggest that it refers to a sexual orientation towards members of one‘s sex. In modern English, “gay” is an adjective or noun, which refers to the people, especially the males, and the traditions and customs connected with homosexuality. On the whole, the definitions suggest that gayness involves the sexual attraction, feelings, interaction, affection, relationship, orientation, behaviour, arousal, activity and of course intercourse between individuals of the same sex. One thing the definitions have in common is the presence of ―same- sex relationship‖.

1.1.2: Origin of Homosexuality

Many people believe that homosexuality originated as an innate, genetic nature while others believe it is a choice or lifestyle adopted by the individual. Some schools of thought

believe that gayness is as old as mankind and that it has existed and still does in different cultures across the world. Some argue that gayness started in the early days of the bible as evidenced in the book of Genesis Chapter 19. Invariably the origin of gay/gayness is not clear. It is shrouded in controversy as most accounts are entrenched in denials and counter denials with every country passionately denying that gayness originated from their part of the world. Rictor Norton rightly observes in the ―Suppression of Lesbian and Gay History‖ that, ―The whole of lesbian and gay history and culture, not merely queer sex, is frequently silenced. It is important to recognize that because of the common prejudice that male–male or female–female love is obscene per se, any texts that celebrate this love, despite being utterly devoid of explicit sexual details or even innuendo, are subject to suppression.‖   Most nations outright deny the existence of gayness in their country. However, there are indications that most countries of the world have practised gayness at one point or the other, sometimes without even knowing it.

The Greeks and Romans tried their best to hide all evidence of gayness but there are clues that gayness existed in Ancient Rome and Greece where sexuality was dichotomized as active/penetrator and passive/penetrated. Most accounts of the history of gayness in Greece emanate from Greek art works, tragedies, plays and other literary works written by prominent philosophers and playwrights like Plato, Plutarch and Aristophanes. Same goes for Rome. Roman women were relegated to the background such that their written works hardly saw the light of day and though lesbianism existed at that time, they were hardly ever documented. Gayness in Rome as well as Greece was not frowned at so long as their men played the active dominant penetrative role in the relationship. It was believed that same-sex relationship does not in any way diminish a man‘s masculinity or social status. Sexual conquest was greatly appreciated in Rome. Roman and Greek men had a certain weakness for teenagers. However, Greek men could take sexual partners from among the free-born males unlike the Roman men who preferred slaves, prostitutes and entertainers because they were not protected by the law.

Roman free-born minors were off limits. Pederasty in Greece was the form of tradition where older upper class men (erastest) made young boys (eromenos) their sex partners or concubines and became their mentors. It was the form of sexuality preferred in Greece. The practice of pederasty in Rome involved older Roman men penetrating boy slaves who were only to be used and were not expected to enjoy the intercourse. Gay practice was widely accepted in Ancient Greece. Vanggaard opines that ancient Greeks believed that manliness could be symbolically transferred from older men to boys through the adult men‘s penises and semen. In his words:

―these love relations were not private erotic enterprises‖ (39) and ―it was the obligation of the erastes always to be an outstanding and impeccable example to the boy. Even in regards to the bodily aspect of the relationship the boy could assert himself against his tutor‖ (88).

Many Western authorities argue strongly, though without ample proof or evidence of any historical backing, that gayness originated from Africa. Brent Meersman insists in Homosexuality is African that, ―Possibly the oldest evidence of homosexuality is in Africa. In Egypt stands the 4390-year-old Saqqara tomb (near Giza) of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, two men buried together for the afterlife. On the walls are several depictions of them in intimate embrace and nose-kissing (the form of kissing favoured by heterosexuals too in ancient Egypt)‖. Africans insist that gayness is alien to the history of their people and cannot be happening anywhere in Africa. They believe it could happen elsewhere but not in Africa because of the traditional belief systems, norms and values in many African societies which subscribe to heterosexuality. They even stigmatize and maltreat gays and anyone they suspect with such tendencies.

The several depictions of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep in an intimate embrace and nose-kissing are not enough proof of the existence of homosexuality in Ancient Egypt as this could easily be a form of greeting in some cultures.  Some schools of thought argue that the men could be cousins while others believe that Egypt‘s gay history is elaborate. Gayness is said to have existed in Ancient Egypt for about 4500 years. Parts of Africa might have at some

point actually experienced gay practices but Africa vehemently denies its existence; they argue that the presence of gayness might be visible but not acceptable.  Zahrah Nesbitt-Ahmed opines that, ―in many African societies homosexuality is seen as ―un-African‖ and a western import.‖ The most popular belief is that gayness or homosexuality is alien, unAfrican, deviant, and immoral and has been foisted on Africans by the West while some argue that it has always been in Africa even before colonialism. Stephen O. Murray posits that:

Indeed, very little has been published about female or male homosexuality in postcolonial Africa. Absence of evidence, particularly an absence proclaimed in official ideology, should not be taken as evidence of absence, but rather as absence of research in contemporary, urban Africa. The literature that can be reviewed is out-of-date, but still of interest in showing that various homosexualities existed at the time of European colonization. Especially where Western influences (notably Christian   and   Marxist)   have   been   pervasive,   there   is   now   a   belief   that homosexuality is a decadent, bourgeois Western innovation forced upon colonial Africa by white men, or, alternately by Islamic slave traders.(3)

In West Africa, Nigeria precisely, the Igbo practise same sex marriages mainly for the purpose of bearing children in order to secure a man‘s lineage. This does not mean same sex sexual intercourse. A woman marries another woman for her husband if she cannot bear children herself. Sometimes a daughter bears children in her father‘s house to ensure that his name and lineage does not die with him. Traditionally a homosexual relationship does not enjoy equal status and recognition with a heterosexual relationship, which is considered to have procreative (and reproductive) value. According to Kingsley Cicero, ―Cross-gender roles and marriage between women have also been recorded in over 30 African societies. Women may marry other women,  raise  their  children,  and  be  generally  thought  of  as  men  in  societies  in  Nigeria, Cameroon, and Kenya. (1)‖ He further observes that:

In Lesotho, females engage in what is commonly considered intimate behavior to the Western world: they kiss, sleep together, rub cores, participate in mouth action, and maintain their relationships with other females vigilantly. Since the people of Lesotho believe sex requires a joystick, however, they do not consider their behavior intimate, nor label themselves lesbians. Colonization of Africa resulted in a cultural shift; aboriginal sexuality was no longer seen as fluid and dynamic but binary and set for life (1-2).

Krige defines lesbianism as ―the institution by which it is possible for a woman to give bride wealth for, and marry, a woman over whom and whose offspring she has full control, delegating to a male genitor the duties of procreation‖ (11). Not much has been written about lesbianism but it is said to have originated from the poet Sappho of the Greek Isle of Lesbos who wrote romantic poems in the sixth century B.C. about sexual intimacy and relations among women. Sappho gave a sexual undertone of erotic desire between women to lesbianism as she celebrated the love of women for fellow women in her poems.

1.1.3:  Types of Gay

The practice of gayness expresses itself either in homosexuality or lesbianism. However, the types of gay are another matter entirely because half the time the word ‗gay‘ is used to refer to only male homosexuals with no reference to lesbians. The types of gay are often identified by their body types and mannerisms. In ―Field Guides‖ by Brian Moylan, the different types of gay are, Twinks, Bears, Gay Jocks, Gay-Listers, Circuit Boys, Show Queens, Art Fags and Drag Queens. Twinks are a young breed of wild, ornery, blond, queeny gays who are fashionable, fit into the conventional stereotypes of gays, often younger than 30 and usually act as baits to older gays. Bears are large, hairy and older breed of gays growing increasingly popular. Gay Jocks are athletic, muscular, sports lovers who do not look gay and like to talk tough. Circuit boys are often

muscular, waxed, preened; most usually with tribal tattoos and enjoy all-night dance parties in different cities around the country and their subcategories are tweekers and muscle marys. Gay- Listers are in a class of their own and are almost always in the entertainment industry. They are uppity homos  who are  very wealthy,  fashionable, have their bodies  toned  by their  personal trainers and their subcategories are power gays and the velvet mafia. Show queens on the other hand come in all figures and bulks of both young and old gays and even gay kids who could not fit in during high school and therefore entered the music department, theater or the arts. Art Fags are usually thin, tattooed, artistic, fashion conscious, have facial hair, keep bushy hair and are usually photographers, fashion designers, and models. Their subcategories are alternaqueers and gipsters. Drag queens comprise a small but powerful number of the gay population who are often big, buxom, wigged and are court jesters and clowns of the gay community who entertain and connect with the straight world. Their subcategories are the club kids and trannies.

Mila Jaroniec on the other hand listed ―seven types of lesbians you‘ll find in a gay bar‖ as, The Plastic Dyke, The Constantly-Pegged-As-Straight Ultra-Femme, The Under-Rager, The Deceptively Sexy Faux-Butch, The Frat Boy Prototype, The Starry-Eyed New Girl and The Lesbian Who Hates the Gay Bar. The Plastic Dykes are usually slim, shapely, meticulous and impeccable often in shiny combat boots, and shirts of various colours who believe they have strong sex appeal. The Constantly-Pegged-As-Straight Ultra-Femme girls show up at bars in very tight miniskirts, 6-inch heels, heavy makeup and see-through skimpy top which shows enough cleavage  but  they  are  too  beautiful;  for  which  reason  everyone  leaves  them  alone  on  the assumption that they are not gay when all they earnestly desire is to be taken by the masculine girls around. The Under-Rager is usually an addict who wears long sleeves to hide the tell tale marks of needles on her hands. She is a sex addict and seduces girls just for the fun of it. The Deceptively Sexy Faux-Butch is usually very sexy and irresistible in her short hair, tattoos, shapely body and lovely gait. She is aggressive and dominating but very manly such that she can fix the car, the drainage pipe, electrical appliances and aptly perform other manly jobs around the

home but then plays the role of the female in bed. The Frat Boy Prototype is every bit a Tom boy and burps loudly without apologizing to anyone. She likes to wear shorts and boxers, a crew cut and bracelets and could be found on the beer pong table. The Starry-Eyed New Girl is a girl who has just transformed from being straight to gay without the slightest idea of what she is getting herself into even if she has experimented with girls in time past. She has no idea how to approach women and strongly believes that dating only females would be rather fulfilling. The Lesbian Who Hates the Gay Bar is the kind of girl that wants to be home but goes to the bar because her friends made her. She could be found at home on her couch with her girlfriend and cats as she does not like the noise and bustle of the bar.

It is important to note that these categories of gays could change from one country and culture to the other. The mode of dressing and mannerisms of the different gay classes could also change depending on the country in question. There might be slight similarities in the traits exhibited by the gays though. On the other hand, some gays do not readily fit into the above stereotypes partly because they comprise a combination of more than one label or do not want to be seen as belonging to any of the stereotypes which the gays have created themselves.

1.1.4: Attitude to Homosexuality

Reactions towards same sex relationships have been varied and numerous from one society to another. Over the years, reports have shown that in various parts of the world, gayness has been practised in different degrees and manner. Some cultures sanctioned gayness by tradition and incorporated it in their culture as rite of passage from childhood to adolescence; some other cultures just ignore or tolerate it, and some others see it as a major contribution to productivity, creativity and the acquisition of knowledge while a great many see it as unnatural, try their best not to be associated with it, set up laws against it and install particular punishments for offenders.

The   two   main   attitudes   towards   gays/gayness   are   homophobia   and   homophilia. Homophobia refers to the intolerance, disapproval, fear, rejection, ill-treatment or hatred expressed towards gays while homophilia has to do with the practice, acceptance, love, support or tolerance of gays. Homophilia could also be used to describe the appreciation of gay culture and belief, and the involvement in canvassing for the rights of gays. Gays have agitated for their relationships to be recognized and accepted but many societies do the opposite. In societies where gays are abhorred, the gay community endeavours to stay out of sight and out of trouble lest it incurs the wrath of the people around it. There are other categories of attitudes towards gays and they can be broadly divided into social, religious and corporate attitudes.

Social Attitude

Social attitude towards gays differs from place to place. It is almost always influenced by the tradition, norms and values of the people. Majority of the people living in countries like New Zealand, Western Europe, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Canada and Argentina have accepted gayness  and  are tolerant/sympathetic to  the gay cause.  Gays  in  areas  that  are intolerant  or unsympathetic, practise their sexuality behind closed doors without attracting undue attention to themselves. However, societal tolerance towards gays within legal age has improved remarkably because of the creation of awareness and improved civilization which subscribe to the freedom of expression and right to association. Consequently, many gays are beginning to come out of their closets to assert their sexuality without fear of being stigmatized, imprisoned or even killed in certain quarters.

Religious Attitude

Religious attitude towards gays varies from one religion to the other. However, it is usually negative among religious sects that comply with Abrahamic religion,  Shari‘a law,  Dharmic religion, Sinic and traditional religions. Some practitioners of some Christian sects are gay lovers

but majority have zero tolerance for gays and gayness, being guided by the holy book which says in Leviticus 18:22, ―You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination‖, Timothy1:9-10, Romans 1:26-27, 1 The Qur‘an (97:80-81, 26: 165). Shari‘a law on the other hand allows death penalty to be passed on offenders. It is important to note that some religious sects among muslims and Christians condone homosexuality. In recent times, there are incidents of gay spiritual leaders some of whom go as far as opening gay places of worship where they attract followership of gays.

Corporate Attitude:

Not all countries are sympathetic to gays. Corporate attitudes toward gays vary from one location to another. Some countries and establishments are so intolerant to gays that they marginalize or deny them employment in some offices. Their chances of getting jobs in homophobic societies are rather slim especially when they declare their sexuality. They are often seen as incompetent and outright not tolerated in some corporate organizations.   However in homophilic societies, gays are allowed equal opportunities and are given the same treatment as their heterosexual counterparts.

Some countries of the world have legalized gayness in recent times and even put protective rights in place for gays. The Netherlands was the first of ten countries to endorse gay marriage in

2001 with the first marriage performed on the 1st of April 2001 at the Amsterdam City Hall. Belgium followed suit in 2003, the U.S states of Massachusetts joined in 2004, then Spain and Canada followed in 2005. South Africa happens to be the first African country to sanction gay marriage and project gay rights which took effect in 2006. Prior to this date, its constitution which was adopted in 1996 was the very first in the world to include gays and lesbians as full citizens. California and Connecticut legalized it in 2008 (it was later banned by proposition in California). Iowa, Vermont, the District of Columbia and Maine followed suit in 2009 (it was revoked in Maine shortly after, then recognized again in 2012), Norway and Sweden endorsed

gay rights in 2009, just before Portugal, Iceland, Mexico, and Argentina which legalized same sex  marriage  in  2010.  On  the  4th  of  March  2010  precisely,  Mexico  authorized  same-sex marriage. Denmark legalized gayness in 2012 and New Zealand in 2013.

As a matter of fact, more than seventy countries of the world do not see the need to legalize gayness and gay marriage. Of this number, about thirty-six are African countries. In some of those countries, gays suffer stigmatization, death, persecution and violence from both the police and community organizations. In Burundi in the year 2009, a new legislation was passed by the President which criminalizes same sex relations for the first time in the country‘s history. Homophobia  has  been  legitimized  by  the  governments  of  Zimbabwe  and  Zambia.  The government of Nigeria recently banned homosexuality and gay marriage by introducing the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill. In Uganda, Bishop Senyongo formed a group for gay lesbian Christians called Integrity, and was summarily excommunicated, but the organization is actively trying to help gay people that are marginalised (Judge et al) .

Gays in Nigeria are not open concerning their sexual orientation. They practically remain in their closets for fear of being discovered and put behind bars for fourteen years. Saudi Arabia executes homosexuals publicly as the maximum punishment. The alternatives to this are whipping, fines and jail terms. The Iranian government has executed more than 4,000 people for homosexuality. Some other countries which operate under the Shari‘a law like the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Mauritania, Iran, Yemen, Pakistan, and Afghanistan comply with the death penalty for homosexual acts.

It could be said therefore that the attitudes of people and countries toward gayness cannot readily be ascertained because they vary from one individual or country to the other based on their orientation and disposition. Individuals who believe that gayness is genetic or hereditary are more likely to  feel  sympathetic towards  gays  who they believe  have  no  control  over their sexuality while those who feel gayness is by choice or that it is a lifestyle often feel it is controllable and therefore exhibit negative attitudes towards gays.

1.1.5: Gayness in African Literature

Gayness has been viewed as unAfrican, and a malady originating from the West as depicted in some works by Daniel Vignal, Chris Dunton and many others. Literary writers have written about gayness in their works especially in the western world where the phenomena is pervasive. Over the years, African writers have been a bit reserved on the concept of gayness as a focal point because many are yet to reconcile themselves with it. Works like Kofi Awoonor‘s This Earth, My Brother, Ayi Kwei Armah‘s Two Thousand Seasons, Wole Soyinka‘s The Interpreters and Aidoo‘s Our Sister Killjoy explicitly survey gayness, portraying it as alien to African culture. Joe Golder, the American in Soyinka‘s The Interpreters, is a homosexual who makes demands on people.  His  homosexuality  is  portrayed  elaborately.  In  Ayi  kwei  Armah‘s  Two  Thousand Seasons, the Arabs are portrayed as having exploited Africa sexually and economically. Yaro, in Kofi Awoonor‘s This Earth My Brother, leaves his master who wants to turn him into a woman (24).  The works depict the colonial masters and other continents as projecting and promoting gay behavior.  Also in Dillibe Onyeama‘s Sex Is a Nigger‟s Game, homosexuality is depicted as a western construct where the western racists concoct myths of high sexuality of blacks. Chidi is a male prostitute acquired by Sir Brain, a gay. The great size of Chidi‘s sexual organ, his sexual prowess and vigour are of course highlighted by the author. Sir Brain comments that gayness was introduced by the colonists and westernized Africans (76)

The grandmother in Maddy‘s play Big Berrin wants to know what homosexuality is for she asks, Homosexuality? Whetying be dal? In Soyinka‘s Season of Anomy, gay activity with the west is held back.  Zaki the Muslim court Head likes boys and he presides over the trial of an accused, accompanied by a fancy boy with long lashes who giggles like a girl and who leaves with Zaki after the hearing. In Mariama Ba‘s Scarlet Song, the acceptance of homosexuality by tradition is explored; for Yaye Khady observes that her neighbour‘s sissy son is likely to become a rdjiguene (courtesan pimp who has sexual intercourse with gays) (70). Christopher Okigbo, in

―Limits V‖ talks about the affection that exists between Gilgamesh, the mythical king of Uruk,

and second self” Enkidu. The askari is employed to sodomize homosexual Faisal who is later murdered by Azania. Jonto the African monarch like his Arab friends is gay too. He oppresses his  people  and  ravages  young  boys  (65).  In  Caya  Makhele‘s    L‟homme au  Landau,  the expatriates leave their wives and establish sexual affairs with boys.   The cruel land owner in Sassine‘s Virriyantu equally acquires boys as sexual partners.

Some literary works explore lesbianism such as Jane Bennett‘s collection of short stories, Porcupine which investigates the representation of being black and lesbian. In Eidia Apolo‘s Lagos Na Waa I Swear, lesbian relationship is explored. Another example of works that have lesbian content is the short story, ―The Glass Pecker‖ by Lindiwe Nkutha. The story is about a bisexual South African black woman, Nonceba, who commits suicide when her lover takes her life. Go Tell it to the Sun by Wame Molefhe has a short story ―Sethuya  Likes Girls Better‖, depicts a married woman who suppresses her sexuality to conform to societal pressures; while Black Bull, Ancestors and Me is a memoir of sangoma, a traditional healer and lesbian. In Taban lo Liyong’s “The Marriage of Black and White”, the persona prefers “the woman who does not answer when Sappho calls the tune, and the tune called by Sappho here is lesbianism. Shamim Sarif‘s The World Unseen portrays the sexual relationship between a married woman and a female homosexual. Achmat Dangor‘s Bitter Fruit, includes the affairs of a bisexual female. Bessie Head‘s A Question of Power observes that the South African slums are places where girls are raped and homosexuality thrives.

LGBT books have increased considerably in South Africa shortly after the inclusion of gays in the constitution of 1996. Books like Mark Behr‘s Embrace, Ian Murray‘s For the Wings of a Dove, Michiel Heyns‘s The Children‟s Day, Barry Levy‘s Burning Bright and Craig Higginson‘s The Hill, emerged at this time. They deal with boys‘ growing up stage as they try to reconcile themselves  with  their  sexuality.  In  Abdoul  Doukoure‘s  Le  Deboussole,  Kaydot‘s  employer enjoys  a love  affair  with  a  young black  American  much  to  his  chagrin  (36).  The narrator (student) in Bernard Nanga‘s La Trahison de Marianne is asked to have sex with a gay Parisian

who likes boys, but he refuses (190). In Mark Behr‘s Embrace, a school boy finds himself falling in love with his choir master and best friend. Other examples exist such as Guy Willoughby‘s Archangels and Michiel Heyns‘s The Reluctant Passenger, which depicts same-sex relationships mainly between men, K Sello Duiker‘s The Quiet Violence of Dreams looks at gays in Cape Town, while exploring the life of a man who after suffering severe trauma, becomes a male prostitute. Tatamkhulu Afrika‘s Bitter Eden portrays heterosexuals who are trying to reconcile themselves with issues of sexuality and manliness, and Fred Khumalo‘s Seven Steps to Heaven, treats gayness while exploring a relationship between a white man and a black man, whose previous sexual experiences were all heterosexual.

Some African novels, however, do not treat homosexuality negatively or as an aftermath of Africa‘s contact with the West. An example is Yulisa Amadu Maddy‘s No Past, No Present, No Future which explores the lives of three Africans who travelled to Europe. In the work, Joe Bengoh,  a homosexual, suffers disdain from his two friends but  he alone fares well as he reconciles himself with his true self. It does not destroy him because even in his queerness he has high morals. Also Tendu Huchai‘s Hairdresser of Harare highlights the life of a young man who leads a binary life to avoid stigmatization and persecution when one asserts his sexuality in homophobic Zimbabwe. The bulk of the literary works on gayness in Africa come from South Africa where there are no laws against homosexuals. In fact according to the Republic of South Africa, Gay relationships in South Africa have been empowered in recent years, particularly through the Constitution (1996) and the acceptance of gay marriage which is enshrined in the Civil Unions Act (2006). Authors like Damon Galgut‘s in Sinless Season and Stephen Gray‘s Time of Our Darkness explored homosexuality, when it was illegal, that is, during the apartheid. There has been a steady growth of LGBT in South African literature shortly after the apartheid, from 2000 till date. In 2008, Michael Power re-published his novel Shadow Game which was banned in South Africa when it was first published in 1972. Shadow Game depicts the romance between a white man and his black partner.

Chuchote pas trop and Portrait d‟une jeune artiste by Frieda Ekotto de Bona Mbella and Queer Nations by Jarrod Hayes are books that explore gayness as well. In Gibson Kente‘s Too Late, the play tells the story of Saduva who is arrested and imprisoned. The cell boss confiscates his food and calls him over to his side for sex (117). Ashraf Jamal‘s Love Themes for the Wilderness makes reference to queerness and historic art, the locker room included. Damon Galgut‘s  The  Beautiful  Screaming  Pigs  looks  at  the  challenges  of  gays  in  a  society  that appreciates masculinity. Dennis Brutus in his ―Letter to Martha: 6‖ tells of the sexual perversion in the cell where sex could be exchanged for cigarettes (7). It also speaks of the “love, strange love” between men in the prison. In Laye‘s A Dream of Africa (Dramouss), Fatoman is approached for sex by an old man in a bar (53-4).

Majority of the African literary works on gayness as seen above revolve around the usual stereotype of gayness as a taboo, alien, unAfrican and having been imported into Africa by the West but there are still a few which portray gays in good light or sympathetically, and even explore the lives and psychology of gays. Some like Jude Dibia‘s Walking with Shadows appeals to readers to be tolerant and sympathetic to gays who to him cannot help being the way they are.

1.2: Statement of Problem

Attention has been given to various themes and concepts in African Literature but next to nothing has been done in the body of knowledge on how gay/gayness is represented in African literature; hence the gap in scholarship which this study is out to fill. In recent times gayness has received quite a lot of discourse and attention across the world. It is needful therefore to explore its representation, portrayal or depiction in the literary world. This research aims at bringing to the fore; the manner in which African authors view gayness by the way it is represented in Jude Dibia‘s Walking with Shadows and Wole Soyinka‘s The Interpreters.

1.3: Theoretical Framework: This work is predicated on Sigmund Freud‘s psychoanalytical

literary theory.

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