Kenya bans another yet another gay film as its censorship board calls Peter Murimi's I Am Samuel documentary 'blasphemous' for showing two men kissing.

by Thinus Ferreira

Kenya's censorship body has once again banned yet another gay film in a move that will inflict further damage on the country's struggling film and TV industry with the documentary film from Peter Murimi, I Am Samuel, that has been banned in the East African nation and slammed as "blasphemous" for featuring two men kissing.

AFP reports that the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) on Thursday banned the "unacceptable" documentary, I Am Samuel, with the KFCB noting that "any attempt to exhibit, distribute, broadcast or possess the restricted film within the Republic of Kenya shall, therefore, be met with the full force of the law."

According to the film description of the 52-minute long I Am Samuel documentary, director Peter Murimi, chronicles the story of how "Samuel, a gay Kenyan man, balances duty to his family with his love for his partner, Alex, in a country where their love is criminalised".

In April 2018 Kenya banned Rafiki from filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu shortly before its Cannes Film Festival debut because the lesbian story contained kissing scenes.

In June 2017 the KFCB – citing bogus reasons culled from conspiracy theory websites – banned The Loud House, Legend of Korra and Hey Arnold from ViacomCBS' Nickelodeon (DStv 305) channel, Star vs the Forces of Evil and Gravity Falls from Disney XD, as well as Adventure Time and Steven Universe from WarnerMedia's Cartoon Network (DStv 301) because of "gay" content. 

In November 2017 it banned the teenage show Andi Mack from the Disney Channel (DStv 303) because one of the characters is gay.

In a statement the Kenya Film Classification Board CEO Christopher Wambua says the KFCB is banning I Am Samuel since the film is "a clear and deliberate attempt by the producer to promote same-sex marriage as an acceptable way of life".

"This attempt is evident through the repeated confessions by the gay couple that what they feel for each other is normal and should be embraced as a way of life, as well as the character's body language, including scenes of kissing of two male lovers."

"The documentary ultimately features marriage marriage of two men, and concludes with the dedication of the film to the gay community." 

Christopher Wambua says that I Am Samuel "tries to influence the viewer into believing that the older generation that was once against LGBTQ+ is slowly buying into the practice and accepting same-sex marriage as a normal way of life".

"Worse still, the production is demeaning of Christianity as two gay men in the film purport to conduct a religious marriage invoking the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" with the KFCB noting that it finds the "the documentary not only blasphemous but also an attempt to use religion to advocate for same-sex marriage".   

The Kenya Film Classification Board added that it "welcomes local and foreign support to our budding local film industry, such funding should focus on production of content that is aligned with the laws of the country. Films that advocate same-sex marriage, homosexuality, or any outlawed practices shall not be allowed for exhibition, broadcast or distribution within the country".

I Am Samuel was already screened at several film festivals. 

In October 2020  Peter Murimi told AFP in an interview that the film is "very nuanced, it's very balanced; it's a story about a family that is struggling with this issue, having a gay son. So we'll just try our best and hopefully Kenyans will see it".

ALSO READ: Kenya abruptly bans Rafiki film from Wanuri Kahiu shortly before its Cannes Film Festival debut because the lesbian story contains kissing scenes.  

Kenya abruptly bans Rafiki film from Wanuri Kahiu shortly before its Cannes Film Festival debut because the lesbian story contains kissing scenes.

Kenya's notorious censorship board has abruptly banned the film Rafiki, from Wanuri Kahiu, shortly before its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in two weeks' time as part of the growing censorship trend gaining momentum and sweeping the African continent from Nigeria to East Africa and South Africa.

Rafiki, meaning friend in Swahili, is based on the short story Jambula Tree by Uganda’s Monica Arac de Nyeko, and revolves around two girls who develop a romance that’s opposed by their families. The film has been included for screening in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival.

The awkward banning by the East African country’s draconian Kenya Film Classificaion Board (KFCB) comes after Kenya earlier had effusive praise for the film and its inclusion in the Cannes Film Festival.

It’s similar to South Africa where the multiple award-winning film Inxeba was first lauded and congratulated by the South African government for making it to the top 9 in the Oscars’ foreign films category before suddenly falling silent with no support after it was banned with a new X18 classification by the South African Film and Publication Board (FPB) – a decision that was later overturned following an outcry by the public as well as the country’s writers, producers and organised TV and film industry.

Wanuri Kahiu who wrote, directed and co-produced the 80-minute film shot in Nairobi, told the breakfast show Morning Express on Kenya’s KTN channel on Friday morning that “unfortunately, our film has been censored in Kenya, because it deals with matters that are uncomfortable for the Kenya Film Classification Board but I truly believe that an adult Kenyan audience is mature and discerning enough to be able to watch this film and have their own conversation”.

Wanuri Kahiu said that her film is “a reflection of society, and we need to be having conversations about what is happening in our society. But unfortunately, because the film has been banned, we’ll be unable to have these conversations”. She said ” I’m incredibly disappointed, because I believe in Kenya.”

Earlier in April, Wanuri Kahiu in an interview on the Hot96FM radio station, said her film “speaks about our reality and the challenges our kids are facing and we’re trying to sweep it under the carpet and make it look like it’s not happening. Film and art should be a mirror of society and reflect on what’s happening with a view to offering solutions and guiding society to become better.”

In a televised speech, William Ruto, Kenya’s deputy president, warned that Kenyans are not only banned from watching censored films even privately, but that it is also against to law to even discuss “illegal material” once the KFCB have banned it.

Kenya’s censorship tsar, Ezekiel Mutua, in a statement said Rafiki is banned because it “legitimizes homosexuality” against the “values, cultures and beliefs of the people of Kenya” because “homosexual practices that run counter to the laws and the culture of Kenyan people”. He said “It is our considered view that the moral of the story in this film is to legitimize lesbianism in Kenya”. Rafiki contains scenes like kissing.

The embarrassing new ban will continue to drive both African and international producers, filmmakers and production companies away from Kenya and opting for other locations who are fearful that their projects, creativity, production budgets and freedom of expression are not welcome, nor respected and protected, in the East African country.

In November Ezekiel Mutua banned the teenage show Andi Mack from the Disney Channel (DStv 303) because one of the characters is gay. 

In June 2017 the KFCB – citing utterly bogus reasons culled from conspiracy theiry sites – banned The Loud House, Legend of Korra and Hey Arnold from Viacom International Media Networks Africa’s Nickelodeon (DStv 305), Star vs the Forces of Evil and Gravity Falls from Disney XD (DStv 304), as well as Adventure Time and Steven Universe from Turner Broadcasting’s Cartoon Network (DStv 301) because of “gay” content.

None of the content reasons given by the KFCB for the bans for any of these shows are true. 

However, because these channels have only one channel feed into Africa, it means that Naspers’ MultiChoice and individual channel distributors, in order to remove the content for Kenya, have been forced to remove the content for DStv subscribers across the entire Africa, including countries like South Africa.

BREAKING. Kenya abruptly bans 6 'pro-gay' kids cartoons on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network that are allegedly 'glorifying homosexual behaviour'.

Kenya's censors have abruptly banned 6 alleged "pro-gay" kids cartoons on Nickelodeon (DStv 305) and Cartoon Network (DStv 301) and ordered MultiChoice to immediately stop showing these cartoons on DStv that is "normalising, glamorising or even glorifying homosexual behaviour" and damaging "family".


ALSO READ: Here's the ridiculous reasons Kenya's censors gave for banning the 7 cartoons.


Kenya is following Nigeria's censorship move where TV-bans on content in that country on channels ranging from Nickelodeon and E! Entertainment to TLC Entertainment have seen content being removed from MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform for the entire African content and affecting all of the continent's viewers since the channels often only have one channel feed for Africa.

The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) says the Nickelodeon cartoons from Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa), Loud House, The Legend of Korra and Hey Arnold, as well as the Cartoon Network shows Steven Universe, Adventure Time and Clarence from Turner Broadcasting have contravened classification guidelines.

The KFCB claims these 6 cartoons "are intended to introduce children to deviant behaviour".

The KFCB in a statement says these cartoons "are obnoxious and inappropriate material" and that it "targets children and seeks to impair their moral judgment on the institution of family".

"The board has written to MultiChoice, the owners of DStv, to cease with immediate effect the airing" of these shows.

Nickelodeon for instance previously showed a drag queen character in its series Bubble Guppies and a same-sex kiss in The Legend of Korra.

The KFCB in its statement says "the children's programmes are laced with retrogressive and bizarre messages intended to promote the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) agenda in the country."

The crux is that VIMN Africa, Turner Broadcasting and MultiChoice can't remove these shows from the channels for just Kenya, and that Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and DStv are in the content and entertainment providing business - not the censorship and taking content away business.

MultiChoice Africa in a quick response to a media enquiry on Thursday afternoon following the KFCB banning decision, told TVwithThinus that it can't yet comment on the details but that the pay-TV provider learnt of the existence of from the KFCB letter and that MultiChoice Africa is "currently investigating the matters raised in the letter".

VIMN Africa in response to a media enquiry says that it will pull the Nickelodeon shows in Kenya.

"We acknowledges the concerns expressed by the Kenyan Film Classification Board. While we explore a variety of options, we will suspend the shows in question in Kenya."

"Although Viacom International Media Networks Africa and Nickelodeon Africa are committed to diversity and inclusiveness, VIMN also respects the varied cultures and regulatory codes of the markets in which we operate. In markets where broadcasting codes allow, we will be making the content available on catch up services."

Turner Broadcasting EMEA responsible for the Cartoon Network channel in a statement in response to a media enquiry, tells TVwithThinus "inclusivity is core to our values and this is evident across many of our shows and characters".

"At the same time, in Africa, as in all markets, we always seek to be respectful of local cultures and sensitivities, whilst remaining true to our shows that we know fans all over the world love. We constantly review feedback from our audiences to ensure that this is the case and this is a responsibility that we take extremely seriously," says Turner Broadcasting.

So far the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) and the KFCB CEO Ezekiel Mutua have not responded to emailed media enquiries about the KFCB's decision to ban the 6 cartoons.

The KFCB and Ezekiel Mutua was asked how it derived at the cause for the ban of each of the 6 cartoons listed - especially given that some of the shows ended in 2014 already - and that some contain no on-screen offensive content.

The KFCB was also asked what the KFCB's definition of "family" is and when this definition was decided upon.

The KFCB was asked why the Kenya Film Classification Board outright bans content if it says its a "classification board", and at what period the KFCB saw the 6 cartoons, since some haven't been broadcast on the various DStv channels currently or recently.

In July 2016 VIMN Africa said it is censoring an episode of The Loud House on Nickelodeon and won't be broadcasting it on its channel on DStv in Africa since it featured animated gay dads.

In May 2016 NBCUniversal International Networks was forced to pull the second season of I Am Cait, a reality show about the transgendered Caitlyn Jenner – formerly known as Bruce Jenner - from E! Entertainment making it unavailable for the entire Africa, after complaints and a DStv TV-ban in Nigeria.

In October 2015 Discovery Networks International was forced to censor and remove the transgendered teen docu-series I Am Jazz from TLC Entertainment from the channel carried on DStv across the entire Africa just before it was to begin broadcast, following censorship in Nigeria.

M-Net that has regionalised channel feeds for South, East and West Africa has been altering and self-censoring its East and West channel feeds for M-Net (DStv 101), the now shuttered M-Net Edge, and its other M-Net packaged channels by keeping controversial shows like American Gods away from East and West Africa and not programming the transsexual model agency reality show, Strut on its version of the VUZU AMP channel outside of South Africa.