Bloc Party’s Kele criticises Nigerian attitudes to gays
Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke has said he finds it hard to relate to his parents’ culture.
The out gay singer was born in Britain to Nigerian parents, but said that he had problems with Nigerian attitudes to homosexuality and women.
He told Attitude magazine: “I was born in the UK and my parents are Nigerian. Fundamentally, I do have problems with a lot of what I perceive to be Nigerian culture. How they treat women. How they treat gays.
“It’s a very hierarchical system where you always have to defer to your elders even if you know them to not be right. That’s something I personally disagree with. I think everything should be open to discussion. To reason is part of being human.”
But he added: “Nigeria is part of my heritage. I’d like to explore it. I love African music. I love African food. I love African people when I meet them. But these things are very complicated for me personally.”
Okereke has only rarely spoken about his sexual orientation. He has said in the past he dislikes talking about race or sexuality because it does not relate to his music.
