I am myself, without apology or shame — OluTimehin Adegbeye

OluTimehin Adegbeye is a writer, speaker, feminist and mother with a strong commitment to social justice. An advocate of inclusivity in areas of gender, sexuality and urbanisation, her 2017 TED talk titled ‘Who Belongs in a City’ was lauded by TED’s head curator Chris Anderson as one of the top ten talks of 2017. In this interview by KINGSLEY ALUMONA, she speaks about her literary journey, Lagos housing crisis and feminism.

BRIEFLY tell us who inspired you into writing. You are an alumna of 2015 Farafina Trust Creative Writing Workshop and 2014 Social Justice Workshop. How did these workshops shape your creative skills?

As cliche as it may sound, I’ve been a writer since I was a child. Still, it was the AWDF/Femrite Writing for Social Justice Workshop that set me on my current path. It offered me validation, a writing community, and a vision of what I could do with my literary gift. I went into that workshop uncertain of my abilities. Then Theo Sowa, the CEO of AWDF (which funded the workshop), assured me I could do anything I set my mind to. Getting into the Farafina Trust Workshop a year later was a confirmation that I had found my purpose,; and it was a thrill to be taught by Chimamanda Adichie. Aslak Sira Myhre, the nonfiction facilitator at Farafina, was also very instrumental in helping me develop and trust my voice.

You once worked with the European Union in Nigeria, United Nations Women and Shining Hope for Communities. What were your job descriptions in these organisations?

These organisations hired me to contribute to specific events. I gave a speech and was a juror at the EU/UN Women Gender Equality comic contest in Abuja. I gave the commencement address at the inaugural graduation ceremony of Shining Hope’s (SHOFCO) Kibera School for Girls (KSG) in Nairobi. Both experiences were very rewarding. It was wonderful to see so many young people’s artistic visions for a more equal world. The KSG students were extremely intelligent, powerful young girls.

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In the 2017 TED talk you delivered in Tanzania, titled ‘Who Belongs in a City’, you said Lagos inspires big dreams. Also, there is a saying that Lagos would welcome anyone. Yet, Lagos seldom recognises or associates with the poor and the homeless. How could you explain this?

Lagos has long been a manufacturer of opportunity, and a deeply classist society. But ‘Lagos’, as an entity, does in fact recognise and associate with the poor and the homeless, because they too are part of what constitutes Lagos. There are some powerful groups who try to exclude people on one basis or another, but those groups are not ‘Lagos’. They’re just a part of Lagos, like everyone who calls that complex and complicated city home. And, contrary to what many believe, it is not those groups’ place to declare the illegitimacy of Lagosians who are not like them. Even the Executive arm of the Lagos State government was reminded of this by a ruling in favour of the people of Otodo Gbame. Poverty and homelessness are simply economic issues which do not negate the right to the city.

Some of your published work—especially ‘The Flawed Logic of Forced Slum Eviction’, ‘Homeless by Design’ and ‘Demonising the Poor’—seems to indicate, perhaps, you have experienced some of the housing crises in Lagos. How true is this? What kind of Lagos would you want your daughter to grow up in?

I have never experienced any housing crisis. It is not necessary for one to experience injustice to be able to recognise or resist it. I inherited—and have not been stripped of—privileges that have given me housing stability. But, it is shameful that people who are born into different circumstances are denied this basic human right by our society and government. It is disgustingly unjust. The city I imagine for my daughter is not one that I believe Lagos can become in her lifetime, unfortunately. However, there are many people working to make Lagos a less unjust society. One day, it will happen.

Would you say the activist and feminist in you were born before, during or after your university day? And, were you involved in campus politics?

I was a largely uncommitted member of the student body at the University of Ibadan. I had little interest in many students’ activities and absolutely none in campus politics. I started identifying as a feminist towards the end of my university career, after reading almost all the content on gradientlair.com, a website run by an African-American intellectual, named Trudy. The ‘activist’ label is one I used only briefly. I consider myself an advocate.

You are actively into women, gender and sexuality matter. What inspired these interests in you? In the 2018 Ake Festival you were the moderator of the panel ‘The Fear of Queer’. What were the major highlights of the panel?

I have to be. These are my realities. Nigerian society is invested in erasing, policing, vilifying and violating those who fail or refuse to conform to its hypocritical norms. I feel compelled to interrogate why our society is so committed to denying that humanity is more expansive than what is prescribed by the perverse alliance of European irrationality and Abrahamic religion. What are we so afraid of? Why are we so comfortable with violence, especially sexual violence and/or violence related to people’s sexualities? How can we evolve beyond bigotry and ignorance? I have always enjoyed how Ake Festival creates space for such questions, especially because they often ensure that these conversations are steered by people who have first-hand knowledge of what it means to survive and defy patriarchal violence.

In your TED talk, you said ‘the difference between possibility and impossibility is who you are.’ Could you briefly explain this? If you were to deliver another TED talk, what would it be about?

Modern human beings are indoctrinated into a rigid hierarchical system of social categorisation which values or devalues people based on identity. The rampant inequality of our time excludes the majority from prosperity, safety or peace, and justifies this by socialising all of us into the belief that some people are inherently less deserving than others. In my TED talk, I tried to expose the irrationality of such thinking. I’m sure I did a good enough job that I don’t need to deliver another one.

What are your major challenges as a creative and activist?

I generally have difficulty finding the time, and especially the peace of mind, to be able to create. Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of pausing my sometimes tumultuous life to create the things I would like to. I would like more quiet space to be able to think but in a place like Lagos, quietness is a scarce commodity. Ultimately though, I think my biggest challenge is my own fear of succeeding, of making powerful enemies, and of inadvertently harming those I claim to be advocating for. In the past, this fear has immobilised me. I’m trying to overcome it.

What advice do you have for young people, especially the female ones, who are aspiring to be like you?

Be yourself. I am myself, without apology or shame. I strive to be honest and encourage the people around me to tell me the truth, even when it hurts. Life is too short to build your self-image on lies or half-truths. It is painful to confront and accept your full self, but there is nothing more rewarding or valuable than that. Love yourself. Stand in your power. The world needs more women to shine as brightly as they are able to. So, why not give it what it needs?