On the Frontlines in Nigeria with MATTHEW BLAISE
“I take up space by bringing my chair to tables that don’t cater to me as a queer person. I insist on being seen and heard at social justice movements which are intentionally excluding of queer people.”
Q: How do you take up space?
MB: I take up space by bringing my chair to tables that don’t cater to me as a queer person. I insist on being seen and heard at social justice movements which are intentionally excluding of queer people. Also, as an openly queer person in Nigeria, I take up space with my lifestyle, dress, fashion, and very existence. In a conservative society like Nigeria, one is expected to be quiet, reserved, and appeal to cisheteronomativity in order to be allowed into spaces. But I strongly reject all this and create my own platform through social media, activism, physical spaces, loving unapologetically, being warm, caring for male friends in public, and just living in my entirety. My defiance and resistance is a strong part of my expression.
Q: How do you use your power to empower your community?
MB: In Nigeria, it is illegal for queer people to assemble and interact but I host underground gatherings for queer folks to have discussions about mental and sexual health, party and just exist in their true selves without fear of discrimination.
Through social media, I gather and connect a large number of queer networks with themselves.
As an influencer with a large following of people from the West, I fundraise for my queer sibs in Nigeria to access care and protection here and in other parts of Africa.
I use my social media presence to create global attention about the situations of queer people.
Through my foundation Oasis, my team and I create educational and informative content about LGBTQ+ rights in Nigeria.
I educate a large number of people about queerness in African history through educational carousels and public speaking.
I use my body as my advocacy through how I dress, respond to oppression, and live.
Born and based in Nigeria, Matthew Blaise is a non-binary queer rights activist committed to the liberation of queer people at home and beyond. This may often take the form of educational work, or physical protest under a highly queerphobic state and society. In 2020, during the rise of the #EndSARS movement in Nigeria, Matthew’s iconic image and statement “Queer Lives Matter” at the frontlines, became a symbol for resistance amongst a young generation of targetted queer Nigerians and allies. The proclaimed “Son of the Rainbow’s” infectious energy transcends the repression imposed on them by imported colonial laws and leaders with colonial hangovers. Online, they share insights on queer joy and existence, body politics, queer histories and queer futures in Nigeria. At only 22 years old, Blaise has received several human rights awards and recognition for their extensive work. Some of their future projects include an important documentary on queer ancestry across Africa; a history-making I hope will offer representation and an indelible reference point to demystify false perceptions of queerness as ‘un-African’. For Pride, we asked Blaise a few questions about feminism, visibility, community, and how to sustainably support their work.
Q: What does Feminism mean to you?
MB: Feminism to me is a radical response to the violence that patriarchy is on the everyday life of women, queer bodies and even men themselves. It’s the power to say ‘no’ to these injustices that are forced down our throats daily. It is to create a new world of fairness, respect and truth where people are treated with kindness, dignity, and care.
Q: What does radical visibility look like for you?
MB: Radical visibility for me can be seen as my truth. My true identity, a form that isn’t clouded by tenets of oppression. It is living my best, unapologetic, non-binary, gay life in a country like Nigeria where gay people can be imprisoned for 16 years or stoned to death. It is hugging, kissing, finding safety and just being.
Q: What does it mean to be a queer activist in Nigeria right now and how can we sustain the movement?
MB: Being a queer activist in Nigeria right now is like being at a dagger point. The hate towards queer people by state and non state bodies increases everyday, and you’re often left confused about hope for a better future. Queer Nigerians do not only have to battle this sanctioned hate; they also have to face poverty and high insecurities of the country. As a queer person, I am tired and exhausted, but the spirit of my ancestors keep pushing me to go on. I hear them loud and clear.
There are many ways in which we can sustain the movement in Nigeria and some of them would be by amplifying the voices of queer Nigerians in the struggle, assisting queer Nigerians with financial support to set up queer affirming events, listening to us and following our lead, lobbying the Nigerian government from your various countries. These are the best ways to sustain the powerful movement here.
Q: Tell us about your organization and how the Feminist community can be involved.
MB: The Oasis Project is a Nigeria-based unregistered non-profit organization working to promote positive representation and humanization of queer people. We exist to educate, uphold, empower, and promote the rights and humanity of all Nigerians. Our goal is to promote positive representation and humanization of queer people in Nigeria. In Nigeria, minorities, particularly the LGBTIQ+ community, are in dire need of safe space. We provide a place to connect and engage, find camaraderie and support, celebrate the vibrancy and growth of the LGBTIQ+ community, and journey together towards acceptance.
The Feminist Community can help by amplifying our work, collaborating on future projects, connecting us to individuals and organizations for possible collaborations, and just fighting side by side with us in this battle against oppression.
VOTE FOR MATTHEW TO ENABLE PRODUCTION OF THEIR DOCUMENTARY ON QUEER EVOLUTION IN AFRICA.
DONATE TO OASIS PROJECT VIA THIS GOFUND ME LINK.
Follow @matthew.blaise and @oasisproject.co
