Unoma Azuah (born 23 June 1969) is a Nigerian writer, author, and activist whose research and activism focus on LGBT writing in Nigerian literature. She has published three books, two of which have won international awards. She focuses on issues relating to queer Nigerians, such as in ''Blessed Body: Secret Lives of LGBT Nigerians'' (2016).

Biography

Azuah was born in Ogwashi-Ukwu in

Delta State Delta is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South (Nigeria), South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Named after the Niger Delta—a large part of which is in the state—the state was formed from the former Bendel State, on 27 August 1 ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

to a Tiv father from Ukan in Ushongo local government area of

Benue State Benue is a State in the North Central Nigeria, North Central region of Nigeria. It is popularly referred to as part of the Middle belt. It has an estimated population of about 4,253,641 in List of Nigerian states by population, the 2006 census. ...

and to an

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

mother from

Asaba Asaba (''Igbo:'' ''Ahaba'') is the capital of Delta State, Nigeria. A rapidly growing urban area, it is located on the western bank of the Niger River and is the seat of the Oshimili South Local Government Area. Asaba had a population of 149,6 ...

. Being born during the

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...

to parents on both sides of the conflict, she was raised mostly as Igbo and was estranged from her paternal family because a Tiv Nigerian soldier was not supposed to cross the enemy line to get involved with a Biafran (Igbo) woman. She attended the

University of Nigeria, Nsukka A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

where, as an undergraduate, she edited the English department literary journal called ''The Muse'' and received the awards of the best Creative Writing student for two consecutive years: 1992 and 1993. She has a Bachelor of Art degree in English,

(1994), a Master's in English from

Cleveland State University Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in oper ...

, Ohio (2001) and a Master's in Fine Art from

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

, Richmond (2003).

Gay rights advocacy/activism

Azuah is the first Nigerian to give LGBTQI issues consistent visibility in the Nigerian literary scholarship. She left Nigeria in 1999, after receiving numerous threats to her life on account of her work, and now splits her time between the US and Nigeria to continue assisting and working with the Nigerian LGBTQI community. Of her work, Azuah has said "I’ve always explored the theme of sexuality in my writing, especially in my poems and non-fiction pieces. ''Edible Bones'' is actually inspired by a true story. The life of the major character loosely reflects the life of a Nigerian immigrant I met. He happened to be highly homophobic, but when he goes to jail and becomes a point of attention for bullies, a homosexual guy happens to be his savior." Of the anti-gay law in Nigeria, she has also said the following: "I feel that the Nigerian leadership is using the matter as a tool to distract Nigerians from genuinely pressing concerns like the lack of economic opportunity and infrastructure. The strong wave of fundamentalist Christianity sweeping over Nigeria fuels the distraction of this topic which should not be up for national debate because what consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedroom should concern no one. Her exploration of gay themes in her work, and "defense of queer sex", for a Nigerian-based writer has been described as "a courageous act indeed." Now a citizen of the USA, she continues to stay "deeply involved in her homeland by sharing stories of the persecution of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community there."

Professional life

Azuah currently teaches English at the

Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (WGTC) is a public community college in Valdosta, Georgia. It is part of the Technical College System of Georgia and provides education for an eleven-county service area in south-central Georgia. The school's ...

Publications

* ''Night Songs.'' Lagos: Oracle, 2002. A collection of Poetry * ''Sky-high Flames.'' Frederick, MD: Publish America. July, 2005. A novel. * ''The Length of Light.'' Germany: VDM; Dr. Müller, 2008. A collection of short stories. * ''Edible Bones.'' New York: Demarche Publishing, 2013. American edition. A novel. * ''On Broken Wings: An Anthology of Best Contemporary Nigerian Poetry.'' New York: DLite, 2014. * ''Blessed Body: The Secret Lives of the Nigerian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender: non-fiction.'' Jackson, TN: Cookingpotbooks, 2016

Awards

*The Urban Spectrum National Best Novel of the year 2006 by an African born writer for ''Sky-high flames'' *Best fiction writer of the year 2006 for ''Sky-high Flames,'' Association of Nigerian Authors/

Flora Nwapa Chief Florence Nwanzuruahu Nkiru Nwapa (13 January 1931 – 16 October 1993), was a Nigerian author who has been called the mother of modern African Literature. She was the forerunner to a generation of African women writers, and the first Afr ...

award for fiction, 2006 *The Griot Hero award for civic engagement with Adult and High school students, West Tennessee, 2008 *Nominee,

Thomas Ehrlich Thomas Ehrlich (born March 4, 1934) is an American legal scholar. From 2000 to 2010 he was a Senior Scholar at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. He has previously served as president of Indiana University, provost of the Uni ...

Civically Engaged Faculty Award,

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

, 2009 *Aidoo-Snyder Book Award, Women’s Caucus of the

African Studies Association The African Studies Association (ASA) is a US-based association of scholars, students, practitioners, and institutions with an interest in the continent of Africa. Founded in 1957, the ASA is the leading organization of African Studies in North ...

, for ''Edible Bones,'' 2011Aidoo-Snyder Book Prize
.

, 24 May 2016. Accessed 24 March 2017 *Winner,

Hellman-Hammett award Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including war crimes, crimes against ...

for ''Sky-high Flames''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azuah, Anoma Nigerian women writers Queer novelists 1969 births Living people Nigerian LGBTQ novelists