Akwaeke Emezi
Akwaeke Emezi is a Nigerian writer, artist, and video artist born on June 6, 1987, in Umuahia, Nigeria.
Emezi holds Nigerian citizenship and works across both written and visual forms. As a non-binary person, Emezi works in both English and Nigerian Pidgin, drawing on the linguistic registers available within Nigerian cultural life.
Among Emezi's notable works is Freshwater. Emezi has received the Otherwise Award and the Nommo Novel Award, two distinct recognitions that reflect the reach of their literary output. Their practice as a video artist extends alongside their work as a writer, placing their creative output across textual and visual modes rather than within a single medium.
Emezi's body of work spans writing and visual art, with Freshwater standing as a recognized title among their productions. The Library of Congress catalogs their work under the authorized label "Emezi, Akwaeke," situating them within formal institutional and archival recognition. Their dual engagement with written and visual work, alongside their use of both English and Nigerian Pidgin, characterizes a practice that operates across multiple expressive forms.
Quotes by Akwaeke Emezi
And while he loves humans (he was born of one, lived and died as one), what they forget is that he loves them as a god does, which is to say, with a taste for suffering.
It wasn’t me,” I said. “I don’t know what happened.” If you don’t know what happened, how do you know it wasn’t you?
I often wonder if I died in the best possible way - in the arms of the one who loved me the most, wearing a skin that was true.
I would say it was too late, but time has stopped meaning what it used to. I don't mind anymore. I see how things work now, from this side. I was born and I died. I will come back. Somewhere, you see, in the river of time, I am already alive.
I know many people survive, but I also think people glorify resilience a little too much, forgetting that the fragile ones simply die as the world walks on over their bones.
...if just this terrified you - the tip of a feather - how am I supposed to open up entire wings?