He loved his childhood friend Gloria who walked to school with him, and he cherished his family despite his father and elder brother’s disdain. Somehow all this tyranny didn’t destroy his spirit.
They beat him senseless for his effeminate ways. Okporo admits “This was just one of the many times I found myself stuck in the parade of masculinity and intimidation that was so common for Warri boys, but that I could not bring myself to be a part of.” Later on, his peers mocked him for the unisex bag he carried to school. He knew this sort of behavior made him a target. He loved to accompany his mother to the market clinging to the hems of her skirt. Even as a young Nigerian boy, Edafe Okporo knew he was different.
