Review of "Vagabonds" by Eloghosa Osunde

This is a novel that makes the bold attempt tobe a literary manifesto of sorts for Nigeria’s LGBTQ community. Theintroductory pages of the book make that clear. The opening pages have thefollowing notices from the author: “There are simple and good andstraightforward and well-behaved people, I’m sure. But this isnot a book about them.” The author also defines the word “Vagabond” as aNigerian noun (used) “In the states of Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano,Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara,” to refer to “any male person whodresses or is attired in the fashion of a woman in a public place or who practicessodomy as a means of livelihood or as a profession.” In the author’s definitionfor the female vagabond, the word covers “any female person who dresses or isattired in the fashion of a man in a public place.”

The novel is also an ode to Lagos, exploringsome of the myths and fascinations that the city holds for both the dwellersand outsiders looking into that complex city. “There is an eye following youand you know. Everywhere you go, e dey look you. The eye is made up of people.The eye does not blink, talk less of sleep. The eye is us, curious. The eye isa city; this eye na Lagos.”

The novel starts off quite well, exploring a popularNigerian urban legend: the football match between India and Nigeria, whichevery one knows Nigeria lost 100 to 0, even though no video or formal of thematch exists in FIFA’s archives. We meet Thomas who makes the mistake ofstanding at the market place, bending and staring between his knees at themarket, on Christmas eve. The reader also meets Johnny, who leaves Uyo to joinhis cousin, Clement, in Lagos to become a driver to a very powerful unscrupulousman, Mr H, with a terrible source of income that demands silence: “State thatyour tongue in your mouth does not move, whether your oga is there or not,”Johnny is told when he arrives at his new boss’s Lagos home. To complicate thealready warped situation, Johnny gets into an “entanglement” with Mr H’spersonal assistant, Livinus, whose mouth can’t keep shut and causes trouble. Thereader also gets the shapeshifting “Hoverer” Toju, who is also bisexual, whomoves from body to body, slips in and out of them, appears to fall in love withmen, and then abandons them — spiritual one night stands and flings, if youwill. There is also the most memorable character for this writer — WuraBlackson, who “started out by making dresses for herself and her best friends,after all; all of them from families whose fathers were corrupt leaders who’drobbed the country insane…Wura’s work stood out because her creativity wasbottomless.” There are several other characters, which allows room for aweakness that can engender — the room for exploring them is very limited, thuslimiting how interesting and memorable they can be, or be made to be by anauthor.

There are several references to the Same-SexMarriage (Prohibition) Bill signed into law in Nigeria on January 7, 2014,which stipulates long jail terms for those who enter into same-sex marriagecontract or civil union (14 years in prison), any individuals or groups,including religious leaders who “witness, abet, and aid the solemnization of asame-sex marriage or union,” (10 years in prison). Those who “directly orindirectly make [a] public show of [a] same-sex amorous relationship” andanyone who “registers, operates, or participates in gay clubs, societies, andorganizations,” are also subject to, upon conviction serve 10 years in prison. “Wherewere you on the thirteenth of January 2014, when that law was passed?” asks “Tatafo”,a narrator (or whatever they may be). The latter half of the novel explores thedifficulties faced by Nigeria’s LGBTQ community. “God hates boys who loveboys,” says a Sunday school teacher, which makes fourteen-year-old Junior, oneof the characters, wonder, “Or did God make me on a day when He was too tired,when He was taking a break from being God?” “And besides, he’s learned thatpeople keep their sins to themselves as a matter of etiquette,” Junior notices.The novel has more adult characters falling in and out of same sexrelationships, most of them concealing the relationships so as not to causeembarrassment to family. Of course, the hypocrisy of some religious housescourting members of the LGBTQ community, and paying them to pretend to behealed of the spirit of homosexuality is explored.

Eloghosa Osunde is a wonderful wordsmith. Sheputs the words together in an impressive manner, blending the King’s Englisheffortlessly with Pidgin English and current Nigerian slang reflective of theday. This unashamed pride in the street talk of Nigeria is wonderful to observe. One could not help but be awed by itall. The first half of the novel was fascinating to read. However, the novelbecame a drag midway. The last chapter “Tatafo (Water No Get Enemy!” was agreat struggle to read, for me; its incoherence was a marvel. One of thosethings you have to complete because you know you have to get it done to getwhat the point of the novel is.

“If anybody deserves to live…it is us. It isus, after all this dying we have done,” goes the final line of the novel.