Rafiki

I'm only watching this in November and I can't believe it has eluded me all this while. It draws you in from the first second and you completely forget everything else till its over, then you wish it wasn't. 😘 I loved it and I can not believe it has been banned 😥... Has it really?

Given the horrendous murders, beatings, discriminations against LGBTQ in many African countries & especially so in those where the Christian & Islamic influences are strong it was courageous for this production crew & actors to expose the hatred. Our lead actors had little to no acting experience & did a credible job. The only negative is that it didn't show how deadly serious this issue is.

I can see this quickly becoming a modern lesbian Romeo and Juliet story, and the more African films in the public eye the better.

"Growing up, I saw everybody else fall in love. I saw Europeans fall in love. I saw Americans continuously fall in love. But I never saw Africans fall in love. I saw Africans procreate. I saw Africans affected by HIV and AIDS, but those weren't love stories. And so more than anything, I wanted to add a love story to African film history, and that's why I made Rafiki." -- Director Wanuri Kahiu

A touching story of two young women who fall in love in homophobic Kenya, a place where it can get you beat up by a mob or imprisoned. There is a lot to like about the beautiful leads (Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva) and the dazzling colors on display in scene after scene, but my favorite part of the film was how it portrayed the tenderness of love. There is a sweetness to it that's undeniable, and cuts across any culture or orientation. Just a lovely film.

Set in Kenya, Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva star here as Kena and Ziki respectively. The two young women fall in love and begin a lesbian relationship. Ironically, their fathers are each candidates in an upcoming local election.

However, in Kenya, gay relationships are not only forbidden but illegal as well. If Kena and Ziki naively thought that their families or the people in their small town would just let them be, they were sorely mistaken. When their relationship becomes public, things will take a very dark turn for all involved.

I thought this was a most poignant drama filled with rich and real characters. It also has extremely colorful cinematography. I'd be most interested in seeing the next film of co-writer and director Wanuri Kahiu.