Review: Rafiki

We’ve all been there before: we hear about a movie that has just shaken the international community, shattering barriers and exceeding all expectations. Usually, what ends up happening for each would-be viewer is that they A.) Go see it and agree with the world, B.) Hate it and hate the world for its stupidity, or C.) Avoid seeing it because it’s just too much pressure. Rafiki, directed by Wanuri Kahiu, is exactly that kind of movie.

Wanuri Kahiu

Rafiki is about two young Kenyan women (Kena and Ziki) who fall in love amongst the challenges of their fathers’ political ambitions, religious intolerance, and run-of-the-mill community gossip. While the plot is not exactly revolutionary in and of itself - the story goes through the motions of two people falling in love despite adversity - it is revolutionary to Kenya, where this kind of story has not been told on the silver screen. It was, in fact, banned in its mother country of Kenya for “promoting lesbianism,” but after pushback from Kahiu, her lawyers, and the international community, it was allowed to play in Kenyan theaters for a week. This action made the film eligible for Academy Award submission.

I got the opportunity to watch Rafiki at Outfest Fusion this past Sunday. After such hype, I was admittedly a little nervous about whether, after all that trouble, the movie was actually good. The conclusion? It’s good. It’s really good.

Rafiki is colorful and sweet, with vibrancy blooming from the music and the patterns featured throughout. No matter who you are or where you’re from, it will remind you of the thrill of young love. Rafiki will take you back, over and over, to that moment when you know that the person you love loves you too. And, it does it all in neon color.

It will also, however, remind you that in many places, we still have a long way to go when it comes to LGBTQ rights. It can be easy to forget if you live in cities like Los Angeles that there are many cultures and places in the world where queerness is not accepted, but condemned. As a global community, we still have a lot of work to do.

With that said, it’s important to remember that religious and political intolerance to queer identities, like in Kenya, still exists in the United States (i.e.: the Bible Belt). Furthermore, in more instance than one, the religion that condemns homosexuality to this day in some countries in Africa came from US evangelicals spreading hate (see here and here). The last thing that should happen from watching Rafiki is people looking down on Kenya for having work to do, because we have plenty of work AND apologizing to do here in America too. And, if for some reason you found hope in Trump and his goblins’ recent denouncing of the criminalization of homosexuality in other countries, don’t. He’s not going to make change. Films like Rafiki and filmmakers like Wanuri Kahiu are going to make change. That is how it should be.