Kenya bans lesbian love story film 'Rafiki'
Kenyan authorities have banned a film that tells the love story of
two women and is set to debut at Cannes Film Festival next month, saying
it promotes lesbianism.
The film Rafiki, a word that
means friend in KiSwahili, was this week invited to premiere at the
prestigious festival in France -- the first Kenyan film to receive to be
invited.
On Friday, the Kenya Film Classification Board said it had banned the film.
Section 7 of CAP222 requires that the license holder applies in writing if any alterations or addition to the text, synopsis or scenes are to be made. Rafiki flouted this provision.#KFCBbansLesbianFilm— KFCB (@InfoKfcb) April 27, 2018
Dr. @EzekielMutua@PresidentKE @WilliamsRuto@CSRashidEchesa@wanuri pic.twitter.com/iSg2v9Wysx
"Anyone found in its possession will be in breach of law," the board
said in a tweet, referring to a colonial-era Kenyan law under which gay
sex is punishable by 14 years in jail.
Board spokeswoman Nelly
Muluka tweeted: "Our culture and laws recognize family as the basic unit
of society. "The (board) cannot, therefore, allow lesbian content to be
accessed by children in Kenya."
Film director Wanuri Kahiu said:
"I'm really disappointed because Kenyans already have access to watch
films that have LGBT content, on Netflix, and in international films
shown in Kenya and permitted by the classification board itself."
"So to then just ban a Kenyan film because it deals with something
already happening in society just seems like a contradiction," she told
Reuters.
Homosexuality is taboo across Africa and people who are
gay face discrimination or persecution. In recent years, however,
campaigners for lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender rights have
become increasingly vocal.
The ban coincides with a landmark case
brought by gay rights campaigners to repeal Kenya's law on gay sex on
the grounds that it deprives sexual minorities of basic rights.
The film is adapted from an award-winning short story Jambula Tree by Ugandan writer Monica Arac de Nyeko.
The
film commission used a hashtag, #KFCBbansLesbianFilm, that immediately
sparked a barrage of supportive tweets from Kenyans who decried
homosexuality.
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