Stories of Queer Africa: call for submissions
Just received this:
We invite QLGBT Africans to submit original, unpublished essays, poems, short stories, plays, creative non-fiction, and visual art. We're looking for work that explores the lives of QLGBT Africans and how your experiences have shaped you emotionally, politically, socially, and culturally. We are interested in the ideas and language that make you African and QLGBT. We accept work from QLGBT Africans from the continent and those who have immigrated to other parts of the world. We also accept submissions from first generation QLGBT Africans born outside the African Continent. If you self-identify as a QLGBT African but do not fit the criteria
written above and would like to submit work for consideration, please write us at:[email protected]
ALL WORK NEEDS TO BE TYPED in 12-point font, double-spaced. All submissions should include your name, address, titles, phone number and email address. Please include a short biography with your work.
All submissions must be unpublished work. Fiction should be one short story or an edited piece from and larger work. 15pg maximum. Non-fiction should be one essay or an edited piece from and larger work. 15pg maximum. Poetry should be a maximum of three poetry submissions per author. 6 pg maximum. Playwrighting should include one complete work or one act from a larger work. Please limit submissions to 15 pgs.
VISUAL ART
Photos and artwork must be reproducible in black and white. Do not send originals. Send hi-res digital files on CD or ZIP, or high quality photocopies of line art.
All pieces must include a short bio, including age, gender, sexual orientation, nation of origin and/or ethnicity, adopted country, and any other biographical information which is important to understanding your work. This demographic information will not be published. Please indicate the name(s) you would like to use for publication. Don't forget to include your contact information! You will receive confirmation that your submission was received. We greatly appreciate all submissions, and will handle them with care and respect. We look forward to seeing your fantastic work!
Deadline: March 31st 2008
Editors: Notisha Massaquoi & Selly Thiam
Please submit work to:
[email protected]
Posts
30 comments:
Nice one Jeremy. You know you will be accused of promoting alternative lifestyles, just brace yourself. Greetings to madam.
pardon my asking but what is QLGTB?
QLGBT? Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered? Q?
J, what does QLGBT means?
I hope your realise that if you live in a country you must obey the law? You do realise that you can be arrested for this? (You live in Nigeria, your target audience is Nigeria, you most likely posted this from within Nigeria)
Or is this another one of those 'you must adopt our way of life' post?
How would the government of your country feel if I went about on a polygamy campaign in Bradford or Blackburn?
(rolling my eyes @ anon 4.56pm)... here we go again....
'How would the government of your country feel if I went about on a polygamy campaign in Bradford or Blackburn?'
I don't think they will give a fuck. you are the biggot that is caring. This is a call to get 'stories of queer Africa'. Believe it or not, there are many of us out there. Living, loving and LYING in Africa.
so get over your homophobic self. whether it is illegal or not, the fact of the matter is, we are here doing our thing and living our lives and contributing meaningfully to society. So go fuck yourself.
@ Jeremy: Interesting.
Abeg, make everybody take am easy oh. No be fight. We are all human beings. All dis talk of arrest, law and all the rest, abeg chilax, we have bigger problems in Nigeria than Jeremy and his blog.
With all the armed robberies for dat country, make Police come dey find Jeremy because im advertise "call for submissions"? Haba! abeg, lets put things into perspective...Peace, people. E don reach.
Jeremy what do you make of the comments from anonymous?
from queering abuja - "So go fuck yourself."
Umm, i think this also may be illegal in Naija as well...lol...(please note sarcasm before I get verbally attacked)....
@ queering abuja
there is nothing homophobic about my post. You can sleep with aligators for all i care, its non of my business.
I made two points in my comment:
1) Whether or not you agree with the law, the fact remains that it is illegal in Nigeria to openly express, support, promote, practice etc homosexuality. I do not a agree with the TV licence but i pay it anyway, I do not agree with a lot of laws in the UK but i do not flaunt them. If Jeremy has chosen to live in Nigeria I think it's fair for the government to expect that he live within the law!
2) May I ask why it is that the custodians and enforcer of our 'general will' (in this case African governments) are expected to openly accept homosexuality in their countries while others do not accept our sexual practices in theirs? Homosexuality as i understand it is consentual sex between adults, so why can we not have polygamy (three or more consenting adults) in Britain? or in other EU countries? Why does English law expressly deny me and my two lovers the right to marital union? How about my sister, she is in love with two men, she makes love to both and all three of them are in love, why is European law so cruel as to deny my sister the right to live, love, marry, raise children, and contribute to society by marrying both her lovers?
Hold on, I forgot about my female cousin, she is 30 years old and she is in love with her brother who is 32, but hold on, European law denies them happiness, because they cannot marry, and their having sex even though blissful, remains illegal in Europe.
I believe that having an open mind means opening your own mind (not trying to open the minds of other), trying to open the minds of other easily can became arrogance!
Wow, that's deep!
nneoma, your too funny. lol
but in all seriousness, disregard anonymous idle threats and continue to stay strong and fighting for what you believe in.
I'm going to post this calling for submissions on my blog next week.
solidarity
wow! @ anon 11.35pm, That is so SICK!!
Anonymous@4:56 and 11:35,
You seem to have a serious problem making like to like comparisons. Your argument has more holes than a leaky bucket.
Homosexuality as i understand it is consentual sex between adults, so why can we not have polygamy (three or more consenting adults) in Britain?
Olodo, Polygamy is not 3 or more consenting adults. That you will find is a THREESOME which is not illegal in the UK.
Clearly you do not understand the difference between a legal union and a sexual practice.
Now you know.
e.g
Nobody will arrest a woman who is living with 2 men and shagging them both.
They will only arrest her if she registers more than one of them as her husband.
Now, on this issue, there are many levels of tolerance.
1) Accept the Legal Union of Homosexuals.
2) Refuse to recognise any formal/legal union of homosexuals - which is what most countries do,.
3) Ban Homosexuality
4) Criminalise Homosexuality and any talk, promotion, expression of support etc. - This is what Nigeria is doing and it is most extreme.
Last time I checked, we were a free country. Just because the law is the will of the majority does not mean the minority must be silenced. I wonder what you are doing in England if you haven't grasped this basic tenet.
If i were you, I'd be more worried about the sexual deviancy going on in your family, No doubt you have an auntie who is having sex with dogs somewhere as well as your incestuous cousins and your promiscuous sister and her bisexual lovers. What are you doing fretting about articles that are written by anonymous gay men!?
If you want to find out about REAL PROBLEMS IN NIGERIA, have a look at the daily traumas going on in Nigeria as noted on Funmi Iyanda's blog.
QLGTB, i believe means Queer-Lesbian-Gay-Transgender-Bisexual.
Anyway, when the stories are sent in can we read them?
from queering abuja - "So go fuck yourself."
How would he get round to it?
(Only slightly sarcastic)
@ queering abuja
nobody cares about your preference for arseholes. However, do not force anyone to accept that preference as normal! It is an abberation period!
Just as a sexual preference for animals, children, corpses etc are abberations.
Please I beg, let us breathe with this queer fag business!
In response to queering abuja, Anonymous said, "...Whether or not you agree with the law, the fact remains that it is illegal in Nigeria to openly express, support, promote, practice etc homosexuality..."
Well, Mr Anonymous, if you wish to pontificate, then please be sure at you have done your research, and that you have got your facts right. The Same Sex Prohibition Bill is still a bill, and is currently stuck in a legistative committee. It has not been passed into law, and is threfore not the law in Nigeria. It is not illegal in Nigeria to express support for homosexuals. Please educate yourself and desist form diseminating misinformation.
Further, my advice to you is that you should grow above your personal prejudice, and look at the broader picture. No homosexual person has ever done you any harm. Most of the rapists and child abusers are not homosexuals. Homosexuals would not deliberatly choose their sexual orientation knowing full well that they will be hated and ridiculed. These are people whose entire lives are spent in fear of being discovered, when in reality they're just living the lives that they have been created to live. Homosexuality has existed through out the history of mankind. Please let us grow up. Homosexuals are entitled to live their lives happilly, just like everybody else. We're too educated and intelligent in our country, to be exhibiting such blatant prejudice.
I am deeply ashamed of the things that some of our so called religious leaders have to say. Perhaps it is they who need to be reminded that neither their fancy religious robes, nor their grand titles are African in origin.
@Kemi: Quite well said!
why would you assume that I was a gay man and not a lesbian? In any case, straight women I know get fucked nightly by their oh very straight husbands. In certain parts of the country men fuck women up the anus to avoid pregnancy. Anal sex has absolutely nothing to do with gay men only. gay men do not have a monopoly on this. Both gay and Straight practice and enjoy anal sex. My ex-husband prefered anal sex and I hated it. But that is preference and I see nothing wrong with it. Just not mine.
It's interesting how much of a fad supporting homosexuality has become with people lining up to show their 'broad-mindedness' by how viciously they are willing to attack anyone who expresses the least bit of aversion to the homosexual lifestyle-you know,the fancy 'I have a couple of gay friends' line. This topic is a lot more nuanced than a lot of folks appreciate. I even think the intolerant, mocking attitude often expressed by Jeremy and his fans on this blog-especially against christians- does qualify for the definition of bigotry-ideas such as'Nigerians/religious people in Nigeria are generally opposed to the homosexual lifestyle, therefore they are generally narrow-minded, uncivilised and backward in their thinking'. I'm convinced the majority of regular, average people can genuinely, reasonably and maybe even strongly disagree with the idea of homosexuality without necessarily wanting all gays killed or in jail! I think what's actually provocative is the insensitive, in-your-face-manner the whole anti-discrimination agenda's been pushed-I'm gay and you MUST approve of my lifestyle else you are bigoted or hateful etc-that's blackmail.
The fact is most parts of Nigerian society have actually managed to quietly live-and-let live through years of history during which rumours and stories swirled around suspected gay members of society-people, especially down south do manage to mind their own business and look the other way.
@kemi an almost succeessful counter-argument to anonymous but you didn't quite answer his/her questions about why people who prefer polygamy do not have full legal rights to marry their partners-what is the basis for this? Some even suggest there's a stronger argument for polygamy-given the rough consensus around the idea that humans-esp men-are sort of wired for multiple relationships. Neither did you address the issue of why it's still criminal in germany, the UK and in most of europe for close relatives to marry or even have a sexual relationship?
"I think what's actually provocative is the insensitive, in-your-face-manner the whole anti-discrimination agenda's been pushed-I'm gay and you MUST approve of my lifestyle else you are bigoted or hateful etc-that's blackmail."
TJ, on the contrary what I find provocative is the virulent, intensely bitter, spiteful and malicious attacks that homosexual people in Nigeria are subjected to. If people privately distaste the idea of two men (or two women) becoming romantically involved, why should they not keep their feelings to themselves?
Gay people have not asked for your approval. They don't need your permission to be gay because they are gay anyway, however you feel about it. All gay people are saying is that they are human beings who are entitled to live their lives, and that you should leave them alone to be who they are, regardless of your personal views about their lifestyle.
Gay people are not a threat to anyone, and this is something that our ancestors understood very well. As you rightly said, in the days before the white man's religion, our people quietly lived and let live..people minded their own business and looked the other way.
i agree with 11.35 and 2.34(tj). kemi i think your statements showed that u are the real olodo. how can u think what he explained as polygamy is the same as a threesome? check a dictionary for the definition. you sound plain stupid! like someone rightly said i can't register 2 husbands in the uk and i certainly wont be allowed to love and be loved by my brother either.
i dont believe anonymous was making a threat, instead he was pointing out the obvious (ie people who are homo or even advocate homosexuality can and will be arrested in nigeria if the authorities that be had a choice).
now while i agree with what the two said, i have to say that i believe the only way homos can get the rights they should have anyway (they ARE in fact citizens and consenting people who have a different sexual preference)is by making themselves known. the reasons things are so bad is because a large number of them and their supporters remain in the dark. they have a right to exist, they have a right to be human, they have a right to be gay (in a not so free nigeria).
good luck. you have a tough uphill struggle!
ps: i didnt say homo in an insulting way, i just cudnt be bothered to right the word over and over. too long.
@ queering abuja..... anal sex may be available to both hetero and homo couples, But it is the only form of penetrative sex available to two men engaged in sex!
That my dear is the difference.... Very, and I repeat very few hetero couples use anal sex as their primary mode of copulation.
Anyway, each and every person has their own set of beliefs, moral compass etc. that guides them through life. My biggest problem with the gay lobby, is their insistence on shoving the lifestyle down everyones throat.
If homosexuality is against my beliefs that does not make me a bigot. I don't think I am better than gay people, or that they shouldn't sleep with whom they want.
According to MY beliefs, homosexuality is an abberation, and an abomination period.
to anon 4:07 p.m
Your preferences are not important and you are entitled to them as long as your actions do not reflect them.As long as you do not discriminate in employment,housing, as long as you do not insult people because of them, as long as you respect people even though you have them.Your thought, feelings, and preferences are all yours.However you need to answer for your actions.People should not suffer mistreatments,live in hiding,be degraded in front of others, humiliated,discriminated against or even killed because of some people preferences.
Sandrine
@ Sandrine
My actions do not reflect my thoughts about homosexuality.
I would never discriminate against someone for choosing to be gay.
I say choosing, because there is no scientific evidence that indicates nature over nurture!
Anyway the important point here is that I do not believe in discrimination of any kind.
Na war for some people o. I'm sick and tired of people using the Bible to promote their hate and ignorance. The Bible was written ages ago within a certain cultural context with the values and sentiments of that time.
Anonymous, how would you like it if white people continued to use the bible to justify colonialisation and slavery. They used to until slavery was abolished, you know. And some die- hard racists still believe even today that blacks are from the cursed race of Ham. Remember that story in the bible about the cursed race of Ham?
Why don't concern yourself with the real ills of society like child rituals and killings. Now we all know how abhorrent and distasteful THAT is.
It is a shame that Nigeria as a nation concerns itself with all manners of religious bigotry and phony righteousness while it does very little to deal with the real ills of society - the endemic corruption and 'get-rich-by-all- means' tendencies that lead to numerous atrocities and ritual killings. GET REAL, 'anonymous' and other naijas like you!
klhgut[]97870l;kkl!@"£$%&****?
(I'm sure someone would attack my comments above! Naija ppl sef!)
Hey Queering Abuja do you have a blog? You seem really interesting.......
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