美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Rafiki': The Lesbian Love Story That Kenya Banned And Then Unbanned

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Over this week, there's been a small revolution in Kenya across movie screens. For the first time, a same-sex love story is on the big screen. And NPR's Eyder Peralta reports it's making people consider freedom of expression, the constitution and finally feeling they've been heard.

EYDER PERALTA, BYLINE¹: I watched "Rafiki" in a packed theater in the middle of the day. It's a movie about Kena and Ziki, two young women full of joy and wonder.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "RAFIKI")

SHEILA MUNYIVA: (As Ziki) Let's make a pact² that we will never be like any of them down there.

PERALTA: And at one point, inside an abandoned van, the two women realize they've fallen for each other. They touch. They look in each other's eyes. And then they kiss. At the theater, you could almost hear the audience holding its breath - and as lips touched, applause.

ALEX TEYIE: It's, like, a queer movie in Nairobi in 2018. It's just fantastic to see.

PERALTA: After the movie, in the lobby, I find 25-year-old Alex Teyie sharing a smile with her friends.

VALARY MUMBO: It's really good to see that - yeah - Kenyans are waking up. Yeah. They're good. They're woke.

PERALTA: "Rafiki" is a milestone³ here, where gay sex is illegal. A few years ago, the gay film "Stories Of Our Lives" was banned in Kenya. It was so controversial that some of the filmmakers remained anonymous⁴. The film classification board also banned "Rafiki," but a court put that ban on hold temporarily. A judge said "Rafiki" would be allowed a seven-day screening period so it would be eligible⁵ for an Oscar nomination⁶.

Valary Mumbo says the ruling is bittersweet. She wishes the movie were playing for months so Kenyans in cities and villages could watch it. But she can't help but feel glee that two theaters were jam-packed in the middle of a weekday.

WANURI KAHIU: I think we won the battle, but we still have to continue with the war.

PERALTA: That is what Wanuri Kahiu, the director. "Rafiki" was the first Kenyan film to screen at Cannes. And she says she was heartbroken when it was banned at home, so she sued.

KAHIU: The case has become larger than the film and - because the case is not about "Rafiki." The case is about freedom of expression.

PERALTA: In a lot of ways, this is just one instance in which Kenya is coming to terms with one of the most liberal constitutions on the continent. Courts are weighing cases about separation of powers. They are hearing challenges to the country's anti-sodomy laws. And here, the court is going to decide whether Kahiu has the right to tell a love story that challenges some of the country's most conservative moorings.

In a statement, the film classification board called the temporary injunction a, quote, "sad moment and a great insult." Kahiu says she just wanted to show characters of color, LGBT characters, following their hearts, and the beauty and heartbreak that often entails⁷.

KAHIU: And that was the point - is that it doesn't matter who you are. Love is love. And that is an absolute, universal, basic language.

PERALTA: The movie is a love story. And she hopes that beyond the politics, beyond the legal battle, that's what Kenyans walk away with. Eyder Peralta, NPR News, Nairobi.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

3 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

4 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

5 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

6 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

7 entails   

使…成为必要( entail的第三人称单数 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需

参考例句：

• The job entails a lot of hard work. 这工作需要十分艰苦的努力。
• This job entails a lot of hard work. 这项工作需要十分努力。