THE CURIOUS CASE OF AREA SCATTER
{Was Area Scatter Nigeria's first ever known transvestite and celebrity cross-dresser ??}
Bob Risky wasn't the first prominent cross dresser in Nigeria

Allow me introduce you to one of the most charming and enigmatic musicians to ever exist in modern Nigerian history. Area Scatter was a crossdresser who roamed the streets of 1970s Eastern Nigeria, playing melodic music with his ornamental thumb piano, singing in a rich, smooth voice and moving his body in an unusual yet fascinating manner. He was by all means, the first and one of the few Nigerian transvestites to appear in mainstream media. Strikingly though, he was widely accepted at the time, in the deeply wounded country which was still fresh out of a deadly civil war.

As a young child growing up in Southern Nigeria with parents heavily influenced by the East, I was often told of the 20th century show, Ukonu's Club. Elders declared that nothing on modern TV could ever compare, even likening TV of the 21st century to various forms of garbage. Ukonu's club has been labelled the best of its time and included a cast of some of the most notable African legends such as the late Christy Essein and Mazi Ukonu himself. My father taught me the few songs he could remember while reminiscing on the various characters who made the show the success it was. One name that always stood out however, was that of Area Scatter. I assumed the person in question was a problematic individual. Perhaps one who frequently left a room in states of disarray and picked fights for all the wrong reasons.

In many ways, I was right. The term is commonly used to describe such people. However, I soon came to realise the original "Area Scatter" was so much more than that. Legend has it that he was a civil servant in the old days, when Nigeria was still brimming with hope and jobs were by far greater than graduates. The good ol' days, before large scale corruption and dishonesty became a thing. He is said to have disappeared into the wilderness at some point during the years of the war, only to re-emerge 7 months and 7 days later, as a beautifully adorned woman. He claimed that during this period, the gods endowed him with supernatural powers which he used to enhance his musical talent and become more feminine. Outlandish? Maybe. But it made for a great back story which is always welcome in show business. As any humorous Nigerian would say, all na packaging.

Scatter as I shall now call him, sold himself so amply that he was invited to perform for various royals all over the East, ranging from Abia to far Enugu until he landed a gig on arguably the most popular TV show at the time, Ukonu's Club. I wonder though, would Scatter have been accepted in the deeply religious Nigeria of today? It seems the more we abandon our indigenous way of life, the less eccentricity we tolerate among us. For all we know, Scatter could have been gay, but I doubt anyone cared back then. It did not matter. He was not a thief, neither did he murder people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8DYIDQh20Q?si=UkvHFcDQeApsTn0Q
In the video attached above , Scatter is gazed upon by the elders in council (a group of men who are viewed as the masculine pillars of every Eastern township) with what I can only describe as yearning and desire. Maybe longing and lust to be with him? Or envy and aspiration to be like him? Even the Igwe seemed enamoured by his performance. I cannot help but ask if these strain of men would look at Scatter the same way today? Could an Area Scatter even stand a chance at universal acceptance now? Well, no need to speculate on the answers in a country where homosexuality recently became a crime and carries the same prison sentence as rape.
Area Scatter was one of the very few Nigerian men who publicly shattered gender boundaries and portrayed a somewhat accurate representation of its fluidity. It takes but a moment during the fertilisation of an egg, for the biological system to randomly determine the sexual morphology of a foetus, thereby changing the direction of its life forever. Even more so if they are lucky or unlucky enough to be born into a patriarchal society like Nigeria. However, in my opinion, attitudes and behavioural characteristics of the two sexes have more to do with cultural influences rather than just basic biology. And in recent times, the Nigerian societal and gender norms have been guided mostly by religion than anything else. Thus, an Area Scatter in 2017 would be generally scorned at and labelled as sinful.

Where is Area Scatter today, you may wonder. Well, nobody knows. Who can blame him though? The Nigeria of today would taunt and mock him, maybe even throw a tire around his neck for good measures. The rumour mongers claim he died in an auto crash on the Port Harcourt - Owerri express road many years ago but nobody seems to know exactly when. Nevertheless, there is still the glimmer of hope that Scatter could still be strolling among us till this day.

https://steemit.com/life/@chuxlouis/the-curious-case-of-area-scatter-was-area-scatter-nigeria-s-first-ever-known-transvestite-and-celebrity-cross-dresser

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youngrichnigga:
THE CURIOUS CASE OF AREA SCATTER
{Was Area Scatter Nigeria's first ever known transvestite and celebrity cross-dresser ??}
Bob Risky wasn't the first prominent cross dresser in Nigeria

Allow me introduce you to one of the most charming and enigmatic musicians to ever exist in modern Nigerian history. Area Scatter was a crossdresser who roamed the streets of 1970s Eastern Nigeria, playing melodic music with his ornamental thumb piano, singing in a rich, smooth voice and moving his body in an unusual yet fascinating manner. He was by all means, the first and one of the few Nigerian transvestites to appear in mainstream media. Strikingly though, he was widely accepted at the time, in the deeply wounded country which was still fresh out of a deadly civil war.

As a young child growing up in Southern Nigeria with parents heavily influenced by the East, I was often told of the 20th century show, Ukonu's Club. Elders declared that nothing on modern TV could ever compare, even likening TV of the 21st century to various forms of garbage. Ukonu's club has been labelled the best of its time and included a cast of some of the most notable African legends such as the late Christy Essein and Mazi Ukonu himself. My father taught me the few songs he could remember while reminiscing on the various characters who made the show the success it was. One name that always stood out however, was that of Area Scatter. I assumed the person in question was a problematic individual. Perhaps one who frequently left a room in states of disarray and picked fights for all the wrong reasons.

In many ways, I was right. The term is commonly used to describe such people. However, I soon came to realise the original "Area Scatter" was so much more than that. Legend has it that he was a civil servant in the old days, when Nigeria was still brimming with hope and jobs were by far greater than graduates. The good ol' days, before large scale corruption and dishonesty became a thing. He is said to have disappeared into the wilderness at some point during the years of the war, only to re-emerge 7 months and 7 days later, as a beautifully adorned woman. He claimed that during this period, the gods endowed him with supernatural powers which he used to enhance his musical talent and become more feminine. Outlandish? Maybe. But it made for a great back story which is always welcome in show business. As any humorous Nigerian would say, all na packaging.

Scatter as I shall now call him, sold himself so amply that he was invited to perform for various royals all over the East, ranging from Abia to far Enugu until he landed a gig on arguably the most popular TV show at the time, Ukonu's Club. I wonder though, would Scatter have been accepted in the deeply religious Nigeria of today? It seems the more we abandon our indigenous way of life, the less eccentricity we tolerate among us. For all we know, Scatter could have been gay, but I doubt anyone cared back then. It did not matter. He was not a thief, neither did he murder people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8DYIDQh20Q?si=UkvHFcDQeApsTn0Q
In the video attached above , Scatter is gazed upon by the elders in council (a group of men who are viewed as the masculine pillars of every Eastern township) with what I can only describe as yearning and desire. Maybe longing and lust to be with him? Or envy and aspiration to be like him? Even the Igwe seemed enamoured by his performance. I cannot help but ask if these strain of men would look at Scatter the same way today? Could an Area Scatter even stand a chance at universal acceptance now? Well, no need to speculate on the answers in a country where homosexuality recently became a crime and carries the same prison sentence as rape.
Area Scatter was one of the very few Nigerian men who publicly shattered gender boundaries and portrayed a somewhat accurate representation of its fluidity. It takes but a moment during the fertilisation of an egg, for the biological system to randomly determine the sexual morphology of a foetus, thereby changing the direction of its life forever. Even more so if they are lucky or unlucky enough to be born into a patriarchal society like Nigeria. However, in my opinion, attitudes and behavioural characteristics of the two sexes have more to do with cultural influences rather than just basic biology. And in recent times, the Nigerian societal and gender norms have been guided mostly by religion than anything else. Thus, an Area Scatter in 2017 would be generally scorned at and labelled as sinful.

Where is Area Scatter today, you may wonder. Well, nobody knows. Who can blame him though? The Nigeria of today would taunt and mock him, maybe even throw a tire around his neck for good measures. The rumour mongers claim he died in an auto crash on the Port Harcourt - Owerri express road many years ago but nobody seems to know exactly when. Nevertheless, there is still the glimmer of hope that Scatter could still be strolling among us till this day.

https://steemit.com/life/@chuxlouis/the-curious-case-of-area-scatter-was-area-scatter-nigeria-s-first-ever-known-transvestite-and-celebrity-cross-dresser

Please do not get it twisted, Area scatter was not a transvestite but a drag queen. I watched Area Scatter perform severally in Ukonu's Club show at NTA channel 6 Aba station, he was apparently a musical/comedian artist that adores female attire and ornament purely for entertainment. He did not do butt enlargement, breast implant, female genital opening, neither did he ever claim to have fellow male admirers.
Till date we have comedians and artists that put on female apparel just for purpose of entertainment and no one is crucifying them. These are different from cases homosexuals, lesbians and transgenders which are contrary to societal norms.