Stories of Our Lives deemed “contrary to Kenya’s norms and values”.
The Kenyan Film Classification board has banned a documentary about LGBT life in Kenya for being “contrary to national norms and values”.
Stories of Our Lives, which was well-received after its Toronto debut last month, is a collection of vignettes about Kenya’s LGBT community.
The board cites that the film “has obscenity, explicit scenes of sexual activities and it promotes homosexuality which is contrary to our national norms and values,” as reasons for the ban.
Filmmakers Jim Chuchu, George Gachara and Njoki Ngumi travelled to Toronto to present the film at TIFF.
Though originally credited as Anonymous, as homosexuality is considered a crime in Kenya and comes with a potential 12-year prison sentence, the filmmakers decided to reveal their identities while at the festival in order to broaden the conversation about gay rights in Kenya.
The filmmakers, part of the NEST Collective, have expressed their frustration over the decision: “Does the film transgress ‘national norms and values’? Stories Of Our Lives is a film about people, it’s about co-existence, it’s about finding love and belonging.
“We made this film to open dialogue about identities, what it means to be Kenyan, and what it means to be different. By placing a restriction on this film, the board has chosen to delay this inevitable conversation.”
The NEST Collective are planning on appealing the decision.
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