Kenya temporarily lifts ban on movie “Rafiki”, making it eligible for Oscars

Kenyans now have the chance to watch Rafiki, the local film that has made waves around the world, but was initially banned in April by Kenya’s film classification board, for “promoting lesbianism”. 

Released in April, the Kenyan Film Classification Board banned the movie, as it was considered as promoting lesbianism, which is illegal in Kenya. “The ban didn’t stopped Rafiki’s global impact, with screenings at the Toronto Film Festival, the Helsinki International Film Festival and Berlin’s Film Ohne Grenzen festival. It was also the first Kenyan feature film screened at the Cannes Film Festival to a standing ovation.”

On Friday (Sept. 21) a High Court in Nairobi temporarily lifted the ban, allowing the film to be screened long enough to qualify for entry into the 2019 Oscar Awards. Judge Ms Okwany said she was “not convinced that Kenya is such a weak society that its moral foundation will be shaken by seeing such a film.”

The deadline for submission for foreign language feature films is Oct. 1st, and for a movie to be submitted it has to have been screened in the originating county for a minimum of seven days.

The film’s producers welcomed the ruling, quickly listing the screenings at Nairobi’s Prestige Plaza.

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Rafiki which means “friend” in Swahili, was Written, Directed, and co-produced by Wanuri Kahiu. The film was adapted from the short story Jambula Tree by Uganda’s Monica Arac de Nyeko, which was awarded the prestigious Caine Prize for African Writing in 2007.

Rafiki Pilot
“Kena and Ziki long for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls resist and remain close friends, supporting each other to pursue their dreams in a conservative society. When love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety.”

Sources: BBC, Quartz