Diepiriye Kuku

Diepiriye Kuku is a New Delhi based Nigerian-American sociologist, public educationist, writer and choreographer from Kentucky. After studying biochemistry and Black studies at Oberlin, he organized a Culture Bank and artisan cooperative as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Mali, and then taught ESL in Seoul before returning to the States to complete an MPH in a pre-Katrina New Orleans. These experiences ultimately substantiated his 'trickle up' commitment to non-violence and human rights through dialogue- Civil and Queer Rights y-compris. Diepiriye currently writes the Gay and Lesbian column for TimeOut Delhi and develops Critical Thinking and Conflict Resolution courses as he completes his PhD at Delhi University. He is also active in Nigah, a queer collective of cultural activists. Diepiriye is a proud gen-XY Hip-Hop head and is grateful for the lessons he continues to learn from his family's vast R&B, Jazz and Funk LP collections. He is currently editing a collection of essays reflecting upon the reproduction of inequality through his own narrative growing up on the margins of the margins in the national and global south. His writing celebrates the lyricism and sentiments of the Blues through critical analysis of politics and pop culture.