Wanuri Kahiu: Being a Hustler

From a Whisper (2009)

How does a female filmmaker from a country who has produced less than 100 films rise to international recognition? By being a hustler. Wanuri Kahiu often finds herself at odds with her own country and its film industry, both in lack of funding for projects, and in some cases recognition or permission to distribute her films at all. She is on record saying “I am a filmmaker when I'm outside the country. In Kenya, I'm someone who's just trying to make ends meet. Every month it's like, 'Oh it's a miracle, I made rent!” The lack of recognition from her country and family as a serious contender in the film industry hasn’t stopped her. In fact, after independently directing several shorts, Wanuri went on to direct her “breakout hit” From a Whisper, a classic African film dealing with loss as two families suffer from the 1998 bombing of the US Embassy in Nairobi. Although a short feature (clocking in just over an hour) this film won 5 awards and received 12 nominations in the 5th annual Africa Movie Academy Awards. Wanuri, securing the award of Best Director, finally had the recognition to receive funding outside of Kenya for her passion projects. Starting with Kenya’s first sci-fi film, Pumzi.

Pumzi stemmed from a dark joke between Wanuri and a group of friends.“What if humanity was cut off from nature and forced to buy fresh air?” The result is a dystopian short, set decades after WWIII: The Water War. Humans now live underground and every resource is regulated by the authorities down to creating a machine that filters urine for water. Wanuri tells the story of a young scientist named Asha, who comes across a seed containing life. She risks it all and escapes, determined to prove there is sustainable life on the outside. Personally I feel like this short film encapsulates a larger metaphor for how Wanuri hopes to break free from the restrictions on her artform and prove that authentic Kenyan experiences can thrive on film around the world.

The first Hollywood productions came to Kenya in the 1930’s with films like African Holiday, the most notable however, came in 1985 with Sydney Pollak’s Out of Africa. Although Kenya has been the backdrop behind countless beautifully shot Western films, the indigenous people of Kenya were never given an opportunity to learn the trade to the same extent as their Western African counterparts like Nigeria. In 1967 the Kenyan government created the Kenya Film Corporation. The intention was to bolster the film industry and encourage indiginous storytelling. However the government regulated corporation soon turned into a symbol of growing industry rather than a means of action. The corporation did produce local films, but its greater function was to widely distribute foreign films within the country. Soon, it became cheaper to buy a copy of a foreign film than one produced and filmed in Kenya. Very few films were produced in the country between 1960-1980. The Corporation’s failure coupled with a new political regime, adverse to the film industry, effectively halted any growth until the 90’s. Talks of liberation turned into action and eventually Kenya became a multi party country. Around this same time new filming technology made its way into Kenya, and with new found support, Kenya’s film industry started to take shape.

For years various industries in Africa, including the Kenyan film industry have been hopeful to make an international impression. But a lack of education in the field and marketable materials has held them back. To combat this disadvantage, Kenya reinvented a Film Commission. This time, with the intent to provide funding and educational resources for independent filmmakers in its own country. The Film Commission identified several challenges facing Kenyan cinema. On the top of the list was “maintaining an indigenous, Kenyan voice.” This challenge stems from the fact that up to this point, Kenyan films had been categorized as “Third Cinema.” First, being Hollywood and commercially produced films. Second, being international, auteur, art-driven films. Kenya’s category reflected the sloppy productions and lack of distributable material. How then, can the industry incorporate conventions of the First Cinema and Second Cinema while maintaining an authentic voice? Therein lies the challenge.

Similar to the Bechdel Test, a film needs to contain these three things to be Afrobubblegum

African cinema is known primarily for focusing on serious topics surrounding socio economic and social justice issues. While these films are compelling stories of perseverance and awareness, rarely have directors in Africa produced films telling stories for fun. Wanuri is looking to change that with the launch of her organization Afrobubblegum. This resource is dedicated to African filmmakers, painters, writers, clothes makers, artists of all kinds to have a space where they can create “fun, fierce, and frivolous” art.

This approach is unique to the continent of Africa let alone the country of Kenya. After the Film Commission was put in place, most of the “authentic experiences'' in films were of poverty, war, and disease. Wanuri decided to combat this by providing an alternative lens for African’s to see themselves through. She suggests that African individuals might not see themselves as worthy of happiness, and often “postpone joy, as if it's a destination.” Her goal is to create work that brings viewers joy now in the moment.

While the creation of the Film Commision intended to bolster films in Kenya, the presence of government regulations instead created an impossibly bleak environment for local filmmakers. As of 2018 the licensing fees for Kenyan filmmakers were the same costs required of international production companies. For independent filmmakers, matching these licensing fees usually means cutting into their production costs forcing many filmmakers to search for funding internationally.

The Netherlands Film Fund was the primary contributor for Wanuri’s latest film Rafiki. True to her mission this film tells the story of a young, queer romance in a positive light. Offering an alternative perspective on what happiness means to many suffering in the Kenyan closet. Rafiki was shot in a way that elicits a feeling of joy throughout the whole film, even when the characters are struggling. Kena and Ziki’s love story is painted with vibrant colors, scored with street music and energized through the Nairobi youth scene. Rafiki which translates to “friend” was a brave production filmed by a brave director addressing a brave subject. Homosexuality is illegal in Kenya. Men can face up to fourteen years in prison and a felony charge for participating in homosexual behavior, and lesbians are not recognized in the constitution. Harassment of the LGBTQ community is so rampant in the country that it is not uncommon for lesbians to be subjected to corrective rape practices by hetersexual men.

From Left to Right: Ziki (Sheila Munyiva) and Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) in Rafiki

I look at Rafiki as a love story to all the Kenyan queers. Wanuri is again, providing an alternative way for people to see themselves. The story of forbidden love between Kena and Ziki is met with a constant sense of hope. The women accept their love for one another from the start, they devise a plan to run off and live together peacefully, they sneak away and have romantic dates all while under the scrutiny of a public eye. After they are forced apart and many years have passed, we find out that their love never died and are left with a feeling of hope once more. Apart from the harassment and ostracization portrayed in the film, it’s hard to believe that this hopeful story is realistic to the lesbian Kenyan experience. The Kenyan government went as far as to ban Rafiki from being shown in the country due to its positive portrayal of an LGBTQ relationship.

Despite such negative reception at home, Rafiki went on to show at several international film festivals including Cannes, making it the first Kenyan film in history to feature at the festival. The film didn’t stop there. Being the hustler that she is, Wanuri opened a case against the Kenya Film Classification Board and fought to have the “restricted” label lifted from her film. Making history, Wanuri won her case and Rafiki played for sold out theaters in Nairobi for exactly seven days. Having officially shown in theaters, the film became a contender for Kenya’s oscar nomination. Between possible Oscar buzz and the groundbreaking legal battle between Director and Classification Board, Rafiki entered into an international conversation.

Although Kenya’s current constitution was written in 2010, the country still acknowledges many colonial laws and practices. Including banning freedom of expression. The film industry in Kenya has been fighting an uphill battle for the last century, and despite it’s best intentions, continues to get in its own way. Filmmakers often accuse the country of hopping on a film’s bandwagon after it’s received recognition in international film festivals, yet providing zero support during pre-production. The restrictions placed on films are meant to inhibit distribution, yet we are seeing that with a powerful enough message, these works can still become a staple in international movements. Rafiki ranks 18,746th in international box office sales. Yet ranks 30th for international film movement movies.

Wanuri had no intention of becoming an activist. The backlash and court cases that ensued after Rafiki catapulted Wanuri’s role in society as a voice she was reluctant to speak. However, her mission remains the same. Tell stories about a world that she wants to be a part of. In fact, she believes the best way for her to advocate is through her work in film. The mission to tell “fun, fierce, and frivolous” stories lives on.

The KFCB Response to the Ban on Rafiki Being Lifted

From a child whose mother told her sci-fi stories about instant death via copious amounts of salt, to an internationally renowned filmmaker, Wanuri Kaihu’s dedication to tell stories and offer joyful perspectives for all Africans is what, in my opinion, has made her the success she is today. Pursuing this artform has been anything but easy, yet she persisted and continues to thrive.

Wanuri knew when she was sixteen that she wanted to be a filmmaker. She knew as a college intern in England that she wanted to be the one to call “Action!” She knew, as she was surrounded by aspiring young Hollywood filmmakers at UCLA that she wanted to tell the stories of the African experience. She knew, in order to survive as a filmmaker in Kenya, it meant collaborations. Bartering with other filmmakers, keeping costs low and hustling to make it happen.

In many ways, returning to Kenya afforded Wanuri a unique opportunity to thrive as a filmmaker from the start. Wanuri speaks on the Hollywood machine, and how had she stayed, she would have never been able to be the filmmaker she wanted to be. She also notes how the majority of the filmmakers from Kenya are women. Removing the barrier of being a “woman in the industry.”

Kenya however, is slow to change. On one hand the country is starved for international recognition of its arts, yet on the other starves the local artists. Wanuri’s upcoming projects are both American films produced and scheduled to be filmed in the States. The Thing About Jellyfish, an adaptation of a young adult novel by the same name, and Plus/Minus a film in pre-production slated to star Lili Reinhart. While she remains a collaborator for writers back home, for now it seems that Wanuri is making the decision to be a filmmaker first, and has proven herself to be a contender amongst the Hollywood machine. The stories Wanuri will be telling in America follow strong female characters as they discover their strengths, become brave through curiosity, and understand that there are limitless possibilities. I refuse to look at Wanuri’s temporary departure from Kenyan filmmaking with a critical eye. When she’s addressing the female presence of filmmakers in Kenya, she talks about how so often humans are pigeonholed based on demographic statistics. The fact that a filmmaker born and raised in Kenya, was able to forge her own path against all of her country's odds and make successful films should always be something worth celebrating. The fact that this same filmmaker is now using the resources at her disposal to continue telling stories in another country, just proves that African storytellers don’t have a limited capacity of imagination. A point I feel is important for young aspiring filmmakers in America to understand when studying international cinema.

Sources

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