I Am African by Verastic

EP 17: A Conversation With An Openly-Gay Nigerian Man FT. Edafe Okporo

• Vera Ezimora • Season 1 • Episode 17

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"I believe in asking the difficult questions, starting the uncomfortable conversations, proposing outside-the-box solutions, and of course, shaking tables. No, breaking tables." Verbatim, these words are in the intro of the I Am African Podcast because they are exactly why I started this podcast.

And today, I had the pleasure of speaking with Edafe Okporo about his life as an openly-gay Nigerian man. Make no mistake, Edafe is not a gay rights activist, although he is understandably outspoken on the issue. However, he wants you to know more about him than the person he shares a bed with. For example, Edafe is 6'1" and 205 pounds, and he describes himself simply as a speaker, an author, and a diversity expert.

Before Edafe moved to New York, he was a Pastor in a Redeemed Christian Church of God in Nigeria where he struggled with his sexuality. Eventually, he came out to the church, and while life was difficult then, it became unbearable when Nigeria passed the law against homosexuality. That was when Edafe found himself being attacked several times and had to flee to the United States for refuge.

Here's the thing: As Africans, we know ourselves. We know the "sin" that we like and the one we don't. An article I read stated that 94% of Africans do not approve of homosexuality. There are hindrances in the way of "approving" homosexuality, I get it - like culture, religion, personal preference, etc. This episode is not to convince you to suddenly love homosexuality. This is simply a conversation between two human beings, appealing to your human ears, to treat everybody as a body - a human body - because whether you agree with Edafe or not, he's still a human being, worthy and deserving of every good thing humans can have.

Here's the other thing: As Christians, we miss the mark too many times. Yes, I know not all who listen to this podcast are Christians, but this paragraph is specifically for the Christians. My Pastor always says it best, that our duties as Christians are to, "Love God, and love people." Please listen, and be guided.

You can connect with Edafe Okporo on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. You can also find out more about him on his website where you can also pre-order his new book coming out in October, called Compassion Is Worth More.


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