"Good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives"
Hi there, I'm Nitram, and today we're going to talk about one of some of the profound Kenyan film releases in the past years that have stired a lot of progress, changes and shone a new light on the Kenyan film landscape.
The film, which remains to be one of my favourite film releases yet is Rafiki. Directed by the decorated Wanuri Kahiu, Rafiki, since its release has been on the mouths of every film maker and Kenyan citizen alike. Rafiki was a boundary-pushing film that nobody saw coming and educative as well as thought-provoking. If there was a right time for the discussion on LGBTQ rights in Kenya, it's release period was the perfect timing. The unusual film was a direct jab at the persistent Kenyan culture of normalised homophobia and ignorance. At the time talks of #repeal162 were doing rounds and the case had been in court for quite a minute. A VOA article sighted that the hearings had begun in February 2018 but the proceedings were postponed to May, 2019. This was the perfect time indeed to restart talks and discussions on LGBTQ rights and most especially what the penal code says about it. The Kenya Film and Classification Board (KFCB) boss, Ezekiel Mutua, had a lot to say about the film upon its release. A famous tweet, where KFCB boss called upon the CS of interior government to take action against Rafiki, went something like this;
"The gay Film 'Rafiki' is funded by almost 30 foreign organizations. What foreign agenda is it pushing and why? Our next target will be these foreigners operating in Kenya to ruin our moral fabric. They should all be deported. Over to you CS @FredMatiangi!"
Clearly, the war against the film had been announced and the battle grounds were not fairly laid out because how was a normal director to go against state machinery. She took the war online where keyboard warriors were waiting for the call to war. The film not only started a debate on Kenya's stance on homosexuality but also a debate on KFCB's apparent role in censorship, classification and their actual areas of jurisdiction. So much content before had fallen victim to KFCB's unfair bans and negative, ignorant remarks. The board seems to exercise extensive powers over content exhibition while in violation of freedoms of expression. Article19.org, wrote an elaborate article about this very issue.
Away from the politics of the film and a dive into the actual creation of the film. The film was critically acclaimed and won several nominations and accolades in world-leading festivals including GLAAD media awards, Cannes film festival just to mention but a few. You can check out Rafiki's page on IMBD for more information.
For a film produced and directed in Kenya, the execution was masterly. The film's opening sequence is composed of immersive, vibrant cuts that are accompanied by the most bassy, funky, afro soundtrack I'd ever heard. The soundtrack was sourced from the album, SHE by famed Kenyan musician, Muthoni the drummer queen. The colour composition in the shots, lighting and wardrobe were the most striking features of the film. The pop of color highlighted the Afrobubblegum feel that Wanuri Kahiu was going for; colorful, vibrant and playful. Similarly, the film's poster was a colorful illustration with a brilliance to it that indeed highlighted the same. The scoring,soundtrack, choices as I had earlier on mentioned, was vibrant, bassy, afro-poppy and the perfect fit for a Nairobi-based film. Whenever it got moody or funky the music adjusted accordingly making the entire watching experience exciting, relatable and memorable.
The film, which was a hopeful love story between two lesbian lovers divided by social status, religious and cultural opinions, had an easy flow owing to Kahiu's profecient directing skills. It never felt out of place and the audience could easily follow without reason to go back for missing any important parts of the story. In addition, the acting from the two main characters, Kena and Ziki, was sterling. In an interview with jumpcutonline, a UK based organisation, Wanuri revealed that Samantha who plays Kena, was a first time actress whom she scouted at a party. The two inexperienced but extremely talented women pushed the boundaries for amateur acting and proved that good acting is all about belief, practice and drive. Overall, I can give the film a solid 7½ rating based on several of the film's aspects that went perfectly right and just a few that could require polishing.
Rafiki is a highly recommendable film if you are the type of audience that is keen on story, great visuals, superb directing and an open-minded sucker for controversy.
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