This archive report was first published on 29 September 2021.
On September 29, 2021, Kenya's Film Classification Board made headlines by banning a documentary that tells the story of a Kenyan man struggling with his sexuality.
The 52-minute film, I Am Samuel, follows the life of a young man who finds acceptance after moving to Nairobi from rural Kenya.
Activists and film producers have criticized the decision, calling it 'discrimination and persecution' of LGBTQ+ people.
'The ongoing criminalisation of LGBTQ+ persons in Kenya is a sad trend bordering on discrimination and persecution of individuals perceived to have a minority orientation,' said Kamau Ngugi, executive director of Defenders Coalition.
The film classification body claimed that the film 'blatantly' violated Kenya's laws penalizing homosexuality and same-sex marriage, and that the storyline was a 'clear and deliberate attempt by the producer to promote same-sex marriage as an acceptable way of life.'
However, Toni Kamau, one of the film's producers, argued that the ban is an affront to the freedom of speech enshrined in the country's constitution.
'We believe that this is a bigger conversation about freedom of expression,' Kamau said. 'Everyone has the right to share their lived experience, their truth.'
