Kenyan film director argues ‘Homosexuality is not un-African, homophobia is’
A prominent film maker in Kenya has called for greater tolerance of gay Africans across the continent.
Wanuri Kahiu believes that “homophobia is un-African, and that homosexuality is not.”
Born in Nairobi, the 33-year-old studied in the UK before continuing her education in the US, where she enrolled on a film-making course.
Last year she produced “Homecoming”, a film based on the award winning novel, Jambula Tree by Monica Arac. The story centres on the love between two women in a country where same-sex activity is illegal.
When asked about her views, Ms Kahiu said: “Homosexuality is not un-African, what is un-African is homophobia.”
She added: “I wanted to tell this story because of the profound love that the man characters had for each other.
“Even though it’s a hard subject because it’s taboo, it was very important for me to tell a love story because that’s what it is: how true love can triumph over everything.”
“It’s as serious as terrorism. It’s as serious as any other social evil.”
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