Diriye Osman

Diriye Osman (born 1983) is a British-Somali author, visual artist, critic and essayist. His books include the award-winning collection of stories, Fairytales For Lost Children, and the collection of interlinked stories, The Butterfly Jungle, which Osman wrote and designed on his phone. Quotes There’s nothing more threatening to bigots than a talented, emotionally intelligent, neurodivergent gay child, which is probably why there’s so much LGBT book banning in homophobic states in America right now. My visual art is pure play...But like all delightful acts of performativity, there is a seriousness there too. You simply cannot be what you cannot see. So my visual art, particularly the collages featuring me in drag, is part of my activism. It’s my way of saying, ‘We can be as weird and wonderful and brilliant and badass as we want to be.' Where Diriye Osman Draws His Flamboyance From I really wanted The Butterfly Jungle to have the energy of a super-fly Somali sheesha session. I don’t believe social media is a marketplace of ideas, which is how the concept has been upsold to us. I think platforms like TikTok, Twitter, Tinder, etc, are a nexus point for anxiety, body dysmorphic distortions, rejection, fear, addiction and every other chemical imbalance and psychic decay you can imagine. You Belong Here, Beloved Reader - An Interview with Diriye Osman We all have to struggle in order to create meaningful lives It’s the kindest thing that we can do for our loved ones. To be able to say, “I respect and value you despite our differences” is such a powerful statement to make, especially within the cacophony of the more orthodox members of the wider African community. 'We All Have To Struggle In Order To Create Meaningful Lives,' An Interview With Somali Author Diriye Osman The Butterfly Jungle (2022) I am a free black man whose body is a testament to surviving unspeakable terror. I am a free black man, and although my memories are ancient, I am a map of new dreams; a cartography of a smooth-and-swift-with-the-scalpel imagination. I die every night and, if I’m lucky, I’m reborn in the morning. Call it karmic pot-luck, call it spiritual cleansing, call it by any other name than what it actually is: the banal symptoms of schizoaffective disorder. The Butterfly Jungle Quotes External Links Category:Novelists from Somalia Category:LGBT people Category:1983 births Category:Living people