REPRESENTING DIVERSE SEXUALITIES IN AKWAEKE EMEZI’S FRESH WATER AND CHINELO OKPARANTA’S UNDER THE UDALA TREES

Queer literature is not an entirely new conception in the African literary space, that is, works that deal with people of a multiple range of sexual identities that may not necessarily be heterosexual. Works such as Walking with Shadows by Jude Dibie, Under the Udala Tree and Happiness, like Water, both by Chinelo Okparanta, are pointers to this fact that this type of literature exists, although it has greatly been fought against, both in the society and in African literary scholarship. The study identified a gap in scholarship which is that the study of sexuality in African literature is yet to garner much critical attention from African literary scholars as scant research by African scholars seems to exist regarding the topic, even though literature that captures the experiences of the queer exists. A qualitative method was used in the analysis of Akwaeke Emezi’s Freshwater and Chinelo Okparanta’s Under the Udala Tree. The study's findings revealed that queer literature not only documents the struggles and triumphs of LGBTQ+ communities but also advocates for broader acceptance and normalization within such culture. As such, more African scholars need to explore this genre in order to provide awareness on the subject.