Kenya bans first film to earn Cannes premiere for lesbian love scenes

Kenya has banned its first feature film to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, accusing the movie of having “clear intent to promote lesbianism in Kenya contrary to the law”.

Director Wanuri Kahiu said she was “incredibly sorry” to confirm the ban of “Rafiki”, or “Friend” in Swahili, by the Kenya Film Classification Board. Her film depicts a love story between two women.

In Kenya, a gay sex charge can lead to up to 14 years in prison. Many countries across Africa have laws against homosexuality, with people facing severe harassment and physical threats.

“I think that there are discerning audiences, not only in Kenya, but the entire world that are able to judge what’s good and bad and it’s not what’s defined by the Kenya Film Classification board,” Ms Kahiu said. She said she had tried to have the film classified for viewers aged 18 and above. “It’s limiting freedom expression of artists in the country and hence the growth of the industry,” she added.

The director has said in interviews she had been nervous about the film’s reception in Kenya, but found support from government authorities and the local film industry.

However, the film board yesterday accused producers of changing the original script that was licensed for production and said it “shall pursue the legal means to hold them accountable”. The original script didn’t have romantic scenes between the female actors, the board said.

“It is our considered view that the moral of the story in this film is to legitimise lesbianism in Kenya,” the board’s statement said. “Any attempt to introduce and normalise homosexuality in Kenya flies in the face of the law and the constitution and must be resisted.”

The board said it met with the director earlier this month and asked her to edit out the film’s “offensive” parts. On Wednesday, the director instead told the board to go ahead and make a ruling, it said. Kenyan gay rights activists quickly raised an outcry. The Cannes festival shared Ms Kahiu’s comments on Twitter. “Rafiki” debuts at the festival next month.

Kenya’s National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission pointed out the film board’s chief executive Ezekiel Mutua had praised “Rafiki” earlier this month to local radio station Hot 96 FM, calling it “a story about the realities of our time” and “the issues of homosexuality”.

In those comments, Mr Mutua said they wanted to avoid “a situation where it is nominated and we are not celebrating it here”.

The film’s ban comes as Kenya’s High Court has started hearing arguments in a case that challenges parts of the penal code seen as targeting the LGBT community.

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