Daniel Orubo Celebrates Queer Joy in Nigeria With New 'Feel Good' Anthology

While watching Schitt’s Creek, the Canadian sitcom that follows a wealthy family who suddenly go bankrupt, Daniel Orubo found himself anticipating negative events for David and Patrick, the show’s queer protagonists. “I didn’t realize it was because my brain had been hard-wired to expect something bad to happen to queer characters because it always does,” he says. That was the nudge that made him want to explore an alternative approach to queer storytelling that emphasized joy. The resulting anthology book, Feel Good, does just that.

Orubo is a digital strategist and content marketer who has led multiple content departments in Nigeria’s technology and digital media sector. He currently is the Head of Content and Content Strategy at PiggyVest, a leading savings and investment platform in Nigeria. In 2023, he directed Hanky Panky, a queer animated short film.

When Orubo returned as the editor-in-chief at the media company where he was once a senior journalist in 2019, one of his key achievements was spearheading two of the publication's most successful verticals: "Love Life" and "Sex Life" — two anonymous interview series that explore the nuances of love, sex, and sexuality.

Among the series' many achievements were their inclusion and normalization of queer people, queer sex and queer love in these stories. “There are people that told me they unlearned homophobia from reading "Sex Life" stories,” Orubo tells OkayAfrica in an interview. A testament to the power of his use of storytelling.

Orubo shares with OkayAfrica the creative process for the book, and why an anthology that celebrates queer joy is necessary, especially for the community in Nigeria.

The interview below has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

OkayAfrica: How did the Feel Good book come about?

Daniel Orubo: It was courtesy of my co-producer and the founder of wuruwuru, Opemipo Aikomo. He’d always wanted to make an animated film, so when he finally found the story and was ready to do it, he brought me in to direct. That film eventually became Hanky Panky, my directorial debut.

Once we completed that, he told me he wanted to help me create a passion project. I’m a big fan of short stories, so I knew that what I really wanted to do was work with some of my favorite queer writers on a book. That’s how we landed on an anthology of queer writers creating something joyful.

The entire project took about a year and a half, and it mostly involved getting stories, editing, working on edits, meetings and mood board reviews. We had also planned to make a physical book, but we eventually opted for a web anthology for accessibility.

2023 was a devastating year for many queer people in Nigeria, marked by nationwide mass arrests and violations. Why is a narrative of joy important in this climate and what does it do for them?

It is tragic that queer people continue to be violated by both state actors and non-state actors in Nigeria. Hanky Panky explores a bit of that tension between family and queerness, and how homophobia just ruins a character, whose life or day starts off being great.

But a narrative of joy is important to prevent the danger of a single story. Yes, horrible things are happening, but queer Nigerians are still finding joy, love, happiness, and community within the chaos, and it’s important to tell that story too. We don’t realize how hard-wired we have become to expect trauma, hardship, and pain from queer characters, queer stories, and by extension, queer lives, because of the media we’ve consumed.

Each writer in the anthology brought a very distinct style and narrative to the collection. Was this intentional?

Yes, it was. The kind of prose I’m typically drawn to is best exemplified in Kunle [Ologunro]’s story, "The Mathematics of Hooking Up," and Edwin [Okolo]’s story, "A Bookish Affair." However, I didn’t want to limit the style to just the things that I’m drawn to. To achieve this, I had to read so many short stories, identify writers with distinct styles, and make sure that I ended up with a good mix.

I was very intentional about making sure that it felt like a real journey of different tastes such that even if a reader came at the project from never having read Nigerian literature until that point, they would find at least two stories that resonated with them, whether it was the style of the writing or the themes explored.

Was there any story that particularly surprised you?

I knew Kunle’s story was going to be big, but I didn’t know how big it was going to be. The numbers are still surprising, and it’s by far the most read of the project. Hearing that people were discussing it in book clubs was such a stunner to me.

Did you anticipate and/or experience any backlash to your work?

Not exactly. I still got some messages from people saying I’m perpetuating the devil’s agenda, and I was very proud of that. But generally, I don’t care. If you're a Nigerian creative living in Nigeria, you’re always expecting backlash. The things that upset Nigerians are always surprising.

Generally, though, the feedback has been wonderful. We live in a world with so much content, and for people to believe that what I created enhances their experience has been gratifying.

Are there plans to release subsequent issues of Feel Good?

I would love to. This edition of the anthology was financed by Opemipo, and I don’t want to have to dip into his pockets again. If we could find some other way to finance it, I would be delighted to oversee bringing it to life again. The stories are valuable, and they deserve to be engaged by an even wider audience.

Are there any other projects coming from you soon?

As long as I’m alive, I’m going to be doing queer stuff. I’m a creature of madness, so if something pulls me, I’m going to throw my energy into it, but right now, I’m trying to survive as a human being in the global economy.