From the 30 Oct to the 4 Nov 2020, Film Africa Festival returned to Rich Mix for their ninth edition. Amongst a brilliant line-up of shorts and documentaries was a back-to-back screening of Kenyan, Christian, Queer and I Am Samuel.
This fantastic screening, which occurred on the 4th of November just before the second nationwide lockdown, marked a premature end to 2020’s Film Africa Festival at Rich Mix and was held in partnership with Africa in Motion Film Festival.
We were lucky to have the director of Kenyan, Christian, Queer, Aiwan Obinyan and the director of I Am Samuel, Peter Murimi, present for a live Q&A after the screening.
Both Kenyan, Christian, Queer and I Am Samuel follow queer Christian Africans as they find and create communities where they can freely express themselves.
Kenyan, Christian, Queer focuses on the first LGBTQ+ affirming church in Nairobi, Kenya. The Cosmopolitan Affirming Church, affectionally known as CAC, creates and sustains inclusive faith communities and strongly believes that it is compatible to be both Christian and queer.
The I Am Samuel documentary was filmed over a five-year period and intimately captures the life of Samuel as he finds love and acceptance from his family as a gay man.
Aiwan began by talking about her experiences filming Kenyan, Christian, Queer. She said it was “inspiring and heart-warming to see queer Christians celebrating in full authenticity in Africa”. She went on to explain that CAC’s theology is driven by “radical inclusivity”, love and acceptance for all.
Aiwan talked to Peter about a pinnacle point in I Am Samuel where Samuel comes back to his family home with his partner Alex and preaches at his father’s church. Aiwan described how I Am Samuel “touches on the safe spaces that queer people create in hostile environments”.
Aiwan asked how Peter gained access to film such “sacred spaces” as “security is an issue for queer people in Africa”. “Time and trust” Peter responded. Peter explained that having filmed Samuel over a five-year period meant that he became close friends with Samuel and his family, but filming I Am Samuel was a “tense journey”. He “did not know what to expect” when he started filming. By following Samuel’s real-world experiences, the narrative created itself organically.
“This film is about not putting anyone in a box,” Peter described. Aiwan said that “one thing I love [about I Am Samuel] is that there is an idea in Africa that being gay is a Western thing, […] yes you shot in Nairobi, but you also went into the rural areas and showed how queerness exists there. I like how you showed [queerness in] rural Africa.” Peter agreed that capturing this was very important, to show Samuel “claiming his identity” as a queer person from rural Africa “and claiming it with pride.”
The floor was then opened to the audience who, in a COVID-secure fashion, sent through their questions via Twitter using the hashtag #FilmAfrica2020.
Q: “Do you know of any Muslim organisations doing similar work, and have they thought about filming the Muslim perspective?”
A: Peter said that there are “really fantastic organisations working with Muslims on the Kenyan coast,” one organisation he has shared on his Twitter is @INENDorg, a social justice organisation who work within the Muslim community.
Aiwan is “currently in the process of shooting a film that explores the Muslim perspective in Africa.” Aiwan interviewed Ishmael who “runs an organisation that helps queer Muslims reconcile their religion with their queerness that is in Mombasa.”
Aiwan also shared this tweet during LGBTQ+ interfaith week which includes some useful organisations.
There is also Cape Town’s LGBT+ friendly mosque, Masjid Ul-Umam and Imaan is the UK’s leading LGBT+ Muslim Charity.
Q: A question for Peter: “How are Samuel and Alex today?”
A: “They are doing well,” Peter said, “they are both in school doing very well.”
Q: A question for Aiwan: “Often the media story about faith and queerness is negative, was it a deliberate choice to tell a different more joyful story.”
A: “Yes, a hundred percent,” Aiwan responded, “it was very important to me as there is this narrative in the West of violence [when talking about queerness in Africa]. There is time for that [to explore those narratives], but there is also a place for empowerment for queer Africans, to show that we are living life to the fullest and enjoying life, even amidst the madness of the laws in Africa. It’s just about reclaiming the narrative and telling their story on their terms.”
Q: A question for Peter: “How did you explain to Samuel’s parents why you were filming their son, what is your relationship like with them today? It is such a strong film about love on so many levels.”
A: Peter admits that Samuel’s father was angry with him for not telling him the true reason of why he was filming the documentary at the beginning, although he did this to protect Samuel as he had not come out to his parents yet. “When he found out that Samuel and Alex were an item, he had a big falling out with me as well.” However, Peter now has a good relationship with Samuel’s father, he sees him as his “second father”, “we talk every other week. I’m very happy to have that connection with him.”
Q: A question for Peter: “I was wondering about the clip of Samuel’s friend getting beaten up on the street, are they still alive and what was the motivation to include it in your film?”
A: “There was a lot of debate about whether to include it in the film, but I think it was important to include it to show the balance of life as a queer person in Kenya, you are constantly walking on a tight rope.” The victim “is still alive, obviously the attack had a large psychological impact on him, but he is doing well.”
Q: “In your view are African societies moving towards acceptance for the LGBTQ+ family, or is the role of culture and religion very influential in shaping people’s views?”
A: Peter said, “I definitely think it’s moving forward, but not fast enough.” He touches on the problem of class divisions in Kenya. “You are much more physically safe” if you are born into a higher class, “it buys you some protection, but for people like Samuel [safety] is a big problem.” “But the law is being challenged” Peter goes on to say, “it’s good that it is happening.”
Aiwan agreed, “[it is similar] in most parts of Africa. My family is Nigerian and it’s the same thing with the class divide. On YouTube you see queer Nigerians living relatively openly but they are usually middle class, or from upper middle-class families but the moment you come to the working-class rural people you see the pushback. However, I do see more and more young Africans being more accepting of queerness and I think they are the ones who are going to create the change. We have seen it with the #EndSARS campaign, young people are standing up and saying we want better governance, better laws, they are the ones who are going to change things.”
Peter adds that it is really important to be an outspoken ally of the LGBTQ+ community, “to stand up and say that we are for LGBTQ+ rights”.
Both of these documentaries capture the pressure and struggle that LGBTQ+ people go through in societies where the government does not support them. However, these films beautifully express a sense of hope for the future of Africa’s LGBTQ+ community.
If you missed this screening you can purchase Kenyan, Christian, Queer for yourself, or on behalf of your school, university or organisation.
Both Peter and Aiwan are continuing to show Kenyan, Christian, Queer and I am Samuel at various film festivals across the globe, so keep an eye out.
What a great end to Film Africa 2020. We cannot wait to welcome them back next year.
