Kenyan writer, gay activist dies
KENYAN writer Binyavanga Wainaina died on Tuesday at 10pm in Nairobi, reportedly after suffering a stroke.
Wainaina was born on January 18, 1971, in Nakuru, and received his education at Mang’u High School, University of Transkei and Lenana School.
In July 2002 he won the Caine Prize for his short story Discovering Home.
His other published books include
How to Write about Africa (2006) and
One Day I will Write about this Place (2012).
Wainaina publicly came out as a gay in 2014 in Kenya, where laws still criminalise homosexuality. He also revealed he was HIV-positive.
In 2014, in an interview with the Associated Press, he said: “All people have dignity. There’s nobody who was born without a soul and a spirit. Everyone, we homosexuals, are people and we need our oxygen to breathe.”
Wainaina dyed his hair in rainbow colours and was a vocal advocate against anti-homosexual laws in Nigeria and Uganda. He also criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin, who promoted legislation banning “gay propaganda” aimed at youth.
In 2014, Time magazine named him one of the “100 most influential people”.
The writer’s death comes just days before a long-awaited court ruling in Kenya tomorrow on whether to abolish laws that criminalise homosexual behaviour.
Among the thousands of tributes that poured in for the writer, IFT Theatre@ifttheatre tweeted: “A Brilliant Mind. A huge loss…”. Jared Staller @jaredstaller tweeted: “Posting this in honour of Binyavanga Wainaina’s death yesterday in Kenya. RIP sir. And thanks for helping me open American students’ eyes to their own biases with wit and irony, which is far more effective than any lecture or Twitter debate.” Bola Mosuro@bbcBola tweeted: “So sad to hear about the death of Binyavanga Wainaina. One of Africa’s, not just Kenya’s finest writers. Your sharp, witty and blunt speaking will be missed. RIP brother.”