Rafiki
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Banned in it’s own country, ‘Rafiki’ is an unforgettable highlight of African queer cinema, filled to the brim with rebellion, colour and love.
“Good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives”, is what Kena and Ziki have heard all their young lives. And that getting a mortgage is the dream of every normal Kenyan. But Kena and Ziki want more. They want adventure and real love, not a dull existence as an obedient wife in the suburbs. It’s not until they fall in love with one another that they find out just how conservative the world around them really is.
As Kena and Ziki’s relationship deepens, so do the stakes, forcing them to choose between openness and secrecy, happiness and safety. Brave and ground- breaking, with a fresh chemistry between its two leads, the relationship between these two young women forms the warm, beating heart of this sparkling, colourful film.
Like its two protagonists, this film had to overcome considerable resistance after being banned by Kenyan censors. Kahiu contested this decision and finally won in the Kenyan High Court, before becoming the first Kenyan film to ever be selected at Cannes.
Introduced by Jan Ryan, Director of POW! Thanet