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Rafiki film image; two women looking at each other

Rafiki

FOCUS

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“Good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives,” but 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.

Against all odds, Ziki and Kena fall in love in Nairobi. In doing so, they must deal with the scrutiny of their community as they come into their sexuality, and navigate the forces that refuse to recognize their relationship. Director Wanuri Kahiu celebrates queer existence in Kenya, while also acknowledging the oppressive realities of queerness. Rafiki, a word that also means ‘friend’ in Swahili, is seminal in the inquiry of queer lives in Africa. It sets the stage and establishes the language and required audacity for these stories as they continue to emerge.

Kika Memeh & Ogheneofegor Obuwoma, FOCUS Curators

 

Presented by

Director
Cast

Samantha Mugatsia, Sheila Munyiva, Jimmi Gathu, Nini Wacera, Dennis Musyoka, Patricia Amira

Credits
Country of Origin

Kenya

Year

2018

Language

In English and Swahili with English subtitles

Film Contact
18+
83 min
Black Cinema Drama LGBTQIA2S+ Romance
Big World Cinema, Afrobubblegum

Book Tickets

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Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Tim Headington

Producer

Steven Markovitz

Screenwriter

Wanuri Kahiu, Jenna Bass

Cinematography

Christopher Wessels

Editor

Isabelle Dedieu

Production Design

Arya Lalloo

Wanuri Kahiu headshot; Rafiki director

Wanuri Kahiu

Born in Nairobi, Wanuri is part of the new generation of African storytellers. Her stories and films have received international acclaim. Her films screened in numerous film festivals around the world. Rafiki (2018) is her second feature film and was the first Kenyan film to screen at the Cannes Film Festival. She is the co-founder of AFROBUBBLEGUM, a media company that supports, creates and commissions fun, fierce and frivolous African art.

Filmography: From a Whisper (2008); Pumzi (2009); Look Both Ways (2022)

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