Finally Kenyans got to see the banned film Rafiki, following a court order to lift the ban temporarily to allow for seven days of screening in public theatres.
It is interesting to note, however, that long before its banning by the Kenya Film Classification Board, the board’s chief executive Ezekiel Mutua, had gone on radio to sing its praises and that of its producer, Wanuri Kahiu.
Mutua is on record saying, “It is a great story…she has a great story. We want it to be our movie, we want it to be our story…we need to celebrate Wanuri and her crew…”
But after the Cannes Film Festival, where the film was first screened to much acclaim, the film’s greatest supporter turned into its fiercest critic and the KFCB banned Rafiki “due to its homosexual theme and clear intent to promote lesbianism in Kenya contrary to the law.”
Kahiu sued the board, arguing in her suit that the ban made it impossible for her to submit the film for consideration by the Oscars Selection Committee Kenya for submission in the Best Foreign Language Film category award.
The controversial Kenyan film, ‘Rafiki’ , has however missed an Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film category .
Ezekiel Mutua went ahead and condemned the film saying Gay content has no place in the Kenyan market.
Seven-day lifted ban on lesbian themed film #Rafiki ends tomorrow, after which the ban by @InfoKfcb resumes. The Board complied with court orders to have the film screened for seven days to qualify for nomination to the Oscars, but it lost to #SupaModo
— Dr. Ezekiel Mutua, MBS (@EzekielMutua) September 29, 2018
KFCB will not succumb to the warped logic of gay people to allow content that undermines the institution of family.#KFCBWinOverRafiki @EzekielMutua @MoICTKenya @fhersy @mucheru @Consumers_Kenya @CofekRebranded
— Dr. Ezekiel Mutua, MBS (@EzekielMutua) September 29, 2018
Had the RAFIKI producers complied with the recommendations of the Board to delete the portion of the movie that glorifies homosexuality, we would have rated it 18. I can bet it would have qualified for nomination to the Oscars and would have won an award. See now!
— Dr. Ezekiel Mutua, MBS (@EzekielMutua) September 29, 2018