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Twenty years after its initial publication, Jude dibia’s seminal novel, Walking With Shadows, continues to resonate, with the author himself highlighting its role in bringing previously overlooked lives into the public sphere as its most meaningful achievement.
Dibia, who has as released two more novels, Unbridled (2007) and Blackbird (2011), stated, “That’s the legacy I’m proudest of: not the controversy, but the quiet courage it gave others to tell thier own stories, in their own ways.”
Chike Frankie Edozien, author of Lives of Great Men, echoed this sentiment, noting, “each time I do something that examines the fullness and varying natures of our lives, I know that I’m continuing the work Jude began by adding to a canon that boldly debunks the prevailing narrative that queerness in West Africa is foreign or imported.”
Edozien added, “We’ve been diverse as long as we’ve existed and I’m thankful for Jude’s brave work that cracked open the door for the rest of us to kick down. All these years later, it[[Walking with Shadows]still is for me a guiding light.”
For British-Nigerian gay rights activist Bisi Alimi, the book offered immediate liberation. “Prior to that day, I had never really read any book as personal and relatable as that.Jude and the book did something to me,” he shared.
Writer and researcher Ayodele Olofintuade described a similar transformative experience. “The book came as it is, creating a new genre, queer literature,” she said. “Encountering the novel about two years post-publication was a shift in reality for me.Walking With Shadows is a roadmap of what is absolutely possible.”
Dibia finds his greatest fulfillment in hearing from readers globally who feel seen through the story of Adrian, the novel’s protagonist. He also expressed a wish for better planning and protection against the backlash the book generated. “But then again,maybe part of the novel’s power comes from the fact that it was written without armour,” he reflected. “I don’t regret writing it. I only regret the climate that made it feel dangerous to tell the truth.”
Looking ahead,Dibia hopes the book continues to be viewed as an act of courage and,more significantly,an act of care. He envisions the novel remaining relevant in two decades, serving as a historical record of a period that has been overcome. “I hope it becomes a reminder of what silence cost us, and how far we’ve come
