Bolaji Akinwande
Being a part of the LGBTQ community is difficult in Nigeria. In addition to societal rejection and rampant Christian homophobia, members of the community must also contend with an anti-gay law that was ushered in by then-President Goodluck Jonathan in the early 2010s.
Despite constant oppression―especially for queer Nigerians who do not adhere to gender norms and presentation―LGBTQ Nigerians continue to advocate for their right to exist. For instance, during Nigeria’s Pride, thousands gather from across the country and live out loud at parties, summits, exhibitions, and, most essentially, balls.
While the genesis of ballroom culture is traced to gatherings of African-American and Latinx trans and queer people in New York City during the ‘80s, the scene has made its way to different communities outside of North America. For instance, Lisbon, Mexico City, Toronto, and Lagos all have active ballroom scenes of their own.
In Lagos, the ballroom scene is held up by various queer-owned collectives like hFactor and fearless liberation leaders who pool their resources to support and create safe spaces for their brethren. For 2023’s Pride, the ballroom collective developed a mass celebration titled The Grand Masquerade Ball, where attendees were prompted to tap into Afro-surrealism.
According to Kayode Timileyin―the curator of Pride in Lagos, which serves as a lead organiser of the ball―“The theme came from [imagining] what our African identity can develop into when it connects with our queerness. I believe the world hasn’t seen enough queerness from Africa yet. So Afro-surrealism as a theme for the ball deals with elegance and shows a bit of what the African and Lagos ballroom scene is capable of looking like.”
This year, attendees showed up and showed out in Afrocentric looks that exuded glamour and extravagance to walk in various competitive categories, during which participants displayed their best features or talents: body, hand performance, runway, femme queen realness, and vogue.
Countess Sasha told TheBody that they aren’t new to the ballroom scene, but the Pride Ball marked their first time walking a category. “Walking Femme Queen Realness was everything I imagined, and winning the category topped everything for me,” they explained.
“Ballroom means self-acceptance, self-expression, competition, and identity; it gives you a sense of a family and helps people to feel more courageous than they normally would,” Victor Emmanuel, another attendee who walked in the ball, told TheBody.
Though New York–born themes heavily influence the global ballroom community, balls in Lagos have expanded to include aspects of Nigerian culture. For instance, last year’s ball introduced the “Owambe Extra” category. Owambe is a lingo for lavish parties―such as birthdays, weddings, or funerals―that Lagosians often hold on weekends.
During Lagos’ 2023 ball, the “Mother of the Year” category was introduced to recognise individuals who have fostered a sense of family and loving leadership. Burgeoning houses of the Lagos ballroom scene presented their mothers―Fola Francis, Tiwatope Adunni, and Bola Yahaya―who ended the celebration by parading the runway with their children. The Elegant House of Rogue, headed by fashion designer Bola Yahaya, took this year’s prize.
Yahaya told TheBody, “It was my first time walking a category. I actually wasn’t supposed to walk the Mother of the Year category. I had planned to walk Runway but changed my mind last minute.” During their walk, they remembered their “chest beating so fast and in my head, I was like, ‘I have to pull an Elektra’”―one of the leading characters from the groundbreaking television series Pose.
Though vibrant and unabashedly joyful, Lagos’ ballroom scene is part of the underground culture, which helps to keep it safe from mainstream Nigerians who might otherwise target them with crackdowns on queer gatherings and association. But even with that natural buffer, organisers took extra efforts to guarantee the safety of attendees.
Timileyin explained that part of that effort included paying “a huge amount of money to secure a safe place.” That location was disclosed to interested parties only after they passed a thorough background check. Timileyin said the background check included collecting data from across their social media presence. “We also had a no-photograph policy to avoid post-event issues, such as our attendees being targeted and outed via social media or any other means.”
Though this policy likely prevented the ball from including everyone who might have been interested or advertising itself in traditional channels, given the state of LGBTQ criminalisation in Nigeria, it was necessary. Being forced underground for safety reasons is far from ideal, and yet Pride events and balls are a lifeline for LGBTQ people in Nigeria. They are the one time of the year when it is safe to be seen, validated, and to revel in one’s queer joy.
Photo: Getty Images/Hiraman