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A Daring and Lovely Pastel-Coated Pride Movie


Rafiki. Friend. There is a very particular reason director Wanuri Kahiu titled her Kenyan lesbian drama with that Swahili word. As she explained in an interview for Much Ado About Cinema, it is a reference to the fact same-sex couples in countries like Kenya have to disguise their intimate relationship as being one between friends in order to maintain safety. This harsh reality is the central focus of this movie; a sweet, profound, and colourful exploration of the identities and relationship of two girls living in a highly bigoted society.
Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) is a girl in Nairobi studying to be a nurse while also aiding in her father’s (Jimmy Gathu) local election campaign. She becomes smitten however with Ziki (Sheila Munyiva), the daughter of her fathers’ political opponent. As the girls spend more time together a Romeo and Juliet-esque romance gradually blossoms, but danger lurks around each corner, especially from their own families, if they happen to be caught.
This film is a tye-dye smattering of bright and vibrant colour, from the clothes and fashion senses of the girls, to the style of decor in their homes, to the moody colour grading in particular scenes (the film takes on a noticeably pink and purple hue in moments of emotional intimacy). There are two functions in this: one, in the area of art direction and cinematography, to dispel any notions of this world being a stereotype -a dry and grey and dilapidated Africa; but more importantly, as concentrated on them, it allows Kena and Ziki to stand out in their odd yet vivid appearances, and associate them with the liberation and expression and pride of their brethren in freer countries. It’s Ziki’s pink and purple braided hair that first attracts Kena to her after all. Colour of course has huge significance to the LGBTQ community, and the range of colour in the girls’ styles and the films’ visual language is more than just an acknowledgement of that -it’s an in-story marker of going against the grain, a code perhaps to their sexual orientation, and it’s presented boldly and intensely as a source of warmth and beauty.
Indeed Rafiki is so lively within this palette, and upbeat, charming and sweet, that it’s easy to forget from scene to scene that while it is a youthful romance it’s also an important drama about bigotry. One scene will have Kena and Ziki flirting on a rooftop, sharing their hopes of seeing the world, the next will be a preacher passionately condemning any concessions whatsoever the government is making to LGBTQ rights. Diversions like a riverboat date or a neon nightclub or a reprieve to an abandoned camper van (their only secret refuge) distract from scenes of Kena hanging out with aggressively homophobic friends or a local gay man coming to church with fresh bruises and scars. The movie very much wants to lull you into that comfort and relatability you feel for the characters, the cute flashes of their relationship, so that these instances of hate and horrible reality are more resoundingly shocking. Rafiki of course is far from the first queer themed movie to do this -movies like Carol, Call Me By Your Name, and Disobedience have utilized similar methods. But Rafiki is set in conservative Africa, and while Kenya itself doesn’t criminalize homosexuality to the death penalty, it’s not far from countries that do. The risks are exceptionally real, always in the margins of Kena and Ziki’s moments together, and it’s frightening when even Ziki almost forgets that.
Kahiu found a pair of truly astonishing actresses for her leads. Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva have beautiful chemistry, a lot of which comes out of just their speechless interactions. They look at each other with a depth of feeling not easy to convey, their body language expressing so much genuine uncertainty and desire. Few movie couples in recent years have better performed the silence of a relationship, the visual and physical shorthand that speaks to an honest and ineffable love -I’m reminded of the best classic movie romances. Munyiva is great in her assertiveness, free-spiritedness, and emotionality, but Mugatsia, a first-time actress, is the films’ brightest MVP. As an introverted and fairly closed-off character, she has the difficult task of relating a profound sense of desperation, sorrow, and frustration while maintaining an air of everyday contentment. She not only does this excellently, but manages to make Kena a fully-rounded character with a sense of humour, optimism, anxiety, and ambitions separate (as much as it can be) from her repressed sexuality; endearing this black lesbian Kenyan woman all the more to even a white straight Canadian man. She’s got a really unique and powerful look about her too, and can light up the screen with her smile alone.
Rafiki is set in Kenya. It was shot in Kenya, directed by and starring Kenyans. And Kenya is where the film was banned “due to its homosexual theme and clear intent to promote lesbianism in Kenya contrary to the law” according to the Kenyan Film Classification Board; with the ban only being lifted for the minimum required screening time so as to be eligible for Oscar consideration. Hate and homophobia are still rampant and it’s vital a movie like Rafiki be seen, especially in countries like Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia, and every other African country that continues to persecute LGBTQ individuals. Because the more people see it, the more will be open to change. There are some tough, awful moments of intolerance and injustice in this film, but Kahiu has faith in her country. The movie abhors tragedy and ends in unabashed hope. A hope that is perhaps shared by many Kenyans, given it played to sold-out crowds in Nairobi following the ban -an indicator that they too want Kena and Ziki to have a happy ending.

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