by JOB TAPERA
Queer suffering is serially platformed and disproportionately critically acclaimed across a range of media forms. A new book wants to change that.
Much has been said in criticism of the fetishisation of queer suffering. For a long time, queer characters in books, films, and art have been robbed by their writers of the fruits of human existence. From Ijeoma in Chinelo Okparanta’s Under the Udala Trees (2015) to Dumisani in Tendai Huchu’s The Hairdresser of Harare (2010), queer characters are often left to reconcile with endings that are, at best, bittersweet and, at worst, tragic. Tenderness, companionship, spirituality, sensualism, and joy seem devastatingly out of reach for many queer media characters.
Queer joy, as a movement, seeks to radically depart from the doom and gloom historically associated with queer media to tell stories that uplift and inspire. Proponents of the movement present queer characters falling in love, enjoying healthy familial relationships, and wholly accepting themselves and their identities. There are trade-offs to be made here: The excessive focus on what is cloying and sentimental in queer joy-inspired works may feel almost deceptive and far removed in time and place from the realities of being queer in Africa and anywhere in the world. Equally, queer joy-inspired works tend to centre grand, epiphanic moments of self-discovery and self-acceptance, dramatic gestures of support from family and friends, and an overall view of queer that doesn’t quite hit the mark on the accuracy scale.
In 2023, Daniel Orubo and Opemipo ‘Ope’ Aikomo, a pair of Nigerian creatives, set out to bring together writers from across Nigeria with a deceptively simple project in mind. Writing realistic stories about queer people that, above all else, simply feel good.
“There’s so much sadness in queer media,” laments Daniel, who has worked in content creation and storytelling for the past decade. “Sad stories just hit harder, to be honest,” he chuckles.
The sentiment is not uncommon. Queer suffering is serially platformed and disproportionately critically acclaimed across a range of media forms. “But there is happiness out there, and it doesn’t have to be corny. Neither does it have to lack artistic integrity just because it focuses on joy and human happiness.”
For Ope, the project was among many projects produced by a studio he runs. The studio explores new projects that create and centre a community of practice for which there is a tangible output – a book, a film, etc. Ope calls these Feel-Good Projects, and, in his words, “the beauty of Feel-Good Projects is their infinite potential.”
The result was a refreshing re-interrogation in eight short stories of the many faces of queer joy in Nigeria. From starstruck lovers reuniting at a book festival in Lagos to a hookup that gradually turns into something more passionate and intimate, A Feel-Good Book is a breathtaking celebration of the joy all around that will leave you feeling inspired and enthralled.
The path to A Feel-Good Book was narrow and winding. The initial proposal had a long list of potential writers, representing different stylistic schools of thought but united by a desire to capture the essence of queer joy. Over time, however, reality quickly set in. “Some writers dropped out because of the expectation of joy in their submissions. They kept writing but it kept getting sad,” says Daniel. Others still were asked to submit several times after their initial submissions didn’t quite hit the mark. Daniel and Ope both display an inspiring faith in their writers, however. “I figured some of them are likely to become Booker Prize winners, so why not call them now?” Daniel, fully serious, says.
Equally, the production process had its hiccups. What was initially meant to be a physical book was quickly converted into a digital project when the cost of production and distribution became apparent. Despite this, Daniel and Ope saw a great opportunity in a digital publication. A Feel-Good Book hopes to reach 50,000 readers and is well on the way to achieving this.
And that’s just the beginning. In December 2023, they launched a short film, Hanky Panky, exploring the intersections of queerness, religion, and family. Their film was a semi-finalist at the New York Film and Animated Media Awards, a testament to the brilliance of the production and its depth of material. “Ope and I work well together,” says Daniel, “and I’m open to doing something else. I hope to see Feel Good happening yearly: I want queer stories stories to fly.”
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