Having recently lived and worked in West Africa for several years, I was intrigued to learn of a new book entitled Kenyan, Christian, Queer: Religion, LGBT Activism, and Arts of Resistance in Africa by Dr Adriaan van Klinken. Was this simply another anthropological study of the locals by a white liberal from Europe? Would this book be something I might want to read? There were too many unanswered questions that the PR blurb and reviews did not address. Contacting the author directly, I decided to put him on the spot with a few choice questions. He kindly responded and here’s the trust of our little chat.

Can you introduce yourself and Kenyan, Christian, Queer to our readers, explaining why you wrote the book, and are best qualified to tackle religion, activism, and homosexuality in Africa today?

Kenya has recently witnessed a growing visibility in LGBT activists and communities, and I was fortunate enough to have the privilege of observing and studying those dynamics for over four years. I don’t think I’m necessarily the best qualified to tackle the complex topic of religion, activism and homosexuality in Africa today – many other people may be better positioned than I am. However, I do believe that Kenyan, Christian, Queer offers a unique insight both into the subject and into my journey in studying it.

Kenyan, Christian, Queer does not so much focus on conventional forms of activism, but on creative and artistic forms of LGBT visibility, such as literary writing, social media, music video, storytelling and worship practices.

The text explores the critical and creative ways in which Kenyan LGBT actors engage with religion.

It weaves together not only a wide range of different sources and materials, but also a variety of different academic disciplines and perspectives, ranging from anthropology to Christian theology, and from queer theory to African studies.

In addition to four case study chapters, Kenyan, Christian, Queer includes four personal interludes in which I share and reflect on some personal and intimate experiences I have had in the process of researching and writing the book.