Legend of The Underground: The Struggle for Nigerians to Be Who and What They Are

“Nobody is free, until everybody is free!”

A truer phrase was never uttered. Legend of the Underground, a new documentary produced and directed by Giselle Bailey and Nneka Onuorah, explores the hidden, “non-conformist” culture alive and not so well in Nigeria. Non-conformists face ridicule, death threats, jail time, physical abuse and being ostracized by their families.

Michael

Michael, who currently lives in NYC, is an self proclaimed advocate for gay men. He speaks of an experience when he traveled to Washington DC a few years ago, to speak at conference about what he does and the services he renders.

Shortly after the conference, The Washington Post released a picture of him at the conference, embracing another man. He thought, at first, that everything would be ok because only American’s would see it. He was wrong.

When he returned to Nigeria, police busted into his apartment, threw out his clothes, burned other items and attacked him, hammering his head with a stick and beating him, while calling him homophobic slurs. Michael then fled for his life back to the United States claiming asylum.

“Non-Conformists” in Nigeria live in fear for their lives every day. Constantly being harassed by police and being accused of homosexuality based solely on how they choose to act, dress or for being “effeminate”. If found guilty in their courts, they face up to fourteen years in prison.

Source: HBO Documentaries

Obialor James “Brown”

James is an actor, singer, dancer/entertainer in Nigeria. Self expression is paramount not only to his life but his to his thriving Instagram account. James is an outspoken advocate for non-conformists in Nigeria. He lives with several other non-conformists in a safe house called “The Royal House of Allure”.

James has been arrested on multiple occasions for the posts he puts up on Instagram of him dancing and acting. In the documentary, we see him returning in and out of court on ambiguous allegations of homosexuality.

James’s popularity has only increased since he started his Instagram page. He coined the hashtag #theydidnotcaughtme in reference to his arrests and the fact that no police caught him engaging in sexual activities with a man.

Nigeria prohibits same sex “amorous relationships”, but the burden of proof is still on the prosecution. Many of these cases get thrown out due to lack of witnesses and verifiable proof. Police arrests, much of the time, are out of assumptions and hearsay.

James’s notoriety also brings a flurry of unwanted attention. He gets barraged with daily death and acid attack threats and people telling him he will “burn in hell” in his Instagram feed.

James’s newsfeeds and popularity catches the attention of Michael in New York, which inspires him to return to Nigeria to meet and collaborate with James.

Source: HBO Documentaries

In All Honesty…

Bailey and Onuorah have managed to pull together a solid, informative documentary.

Non-conformist struggles are worldwide. Fear and ignorance under the guise of “morality” or misinterpretations of religious texts are used everywhere to wreak havoc, war and pain on all kinds of innocent people. This is nothing new. Humanity’s seeming need to “other” people has caused reckless and irreversible damage since the beginning of our time.

The film does an excellent job laying out the specifics of the problem surrounding non-conformers in Nigeria but leaves us feeling lacking in what we can do about it. It also struggles with building a sense of inspiration and inciting a rallying cry amongst supporters.

We meet several fascinating people but really only get to hear about two of their stories in any depth. The most inspiring part peaks at a NYC Pride event in the beginning. From there, the pace gets a bit sluggish and the stories, choppy.

The lack of momentum and spirited emotion left me wanting. These are people who are, potentially, sacrificing everything to fight against wanton hate for the freedom to be who they are. They are beaten, jailed, ostracized and tortured in Nigeria, and, tortured in holding cells in the US when they seek asylum.

Given the consequences surrounding their choice to speak out, I felt they deserved something with more urgency and passion. Still, bringing these stories to an international audience couldn’t have been easy. Legend of the Underground stands strong as a crucial part of the international conversation we need to be having concerning human rights.

It chronicles the struggles of these freedom fighters while showing us the similarities we have with them, as human beings. Our need to feel love and be loved. Our need for expression and acceptance. Our need to open ourselves to differences and life-long learning.

Humans are complex creatures and none of us is like any other. However, what we miss a lot of the time, is that anything that a human can be is, in fact, human. Not everything we do as a species is benevolent or wholly loving. So why should we make it a priority to chastise others for who they love, or from benignly expressing their soul’s creativity and light?

Who is anyone to say what is right for anyone else? We don’t have to agree with or do anything that other people do, but everyone has the right to be what they are as long as it doesn’t harm themselves or anyone else. Why not focus our energies on improving ourselves and becoming the best, most loving being we can possibly be? The world is not bereft of war, violence, hatred, ignorance, or greed, but it is missing out on a whole lot of love and acceptance.

We can start by learning to love ourselves. Sometimes that first step toward loving change is hard, but it is so worth it in the end. Love’s beauty is as endless as all of the extraordinary beauty there is to find in the myriad of beings on this planet. Every time we choose love, we make a step forward in a global energy shift towards peace and good will.

I applaud these “non-conformers” for having the courage to speak out and inspire positive change in their parts of the world. I stand united with them in their struggle to shift the collective consciousness from ignorance and hatred to one of tolerance and love.

For in the end, what else is there, but love?