The Fespaco film festival in Burkina Faso honored Samantha Mugatsia with the best actress award for her portrayal of a lesbian character in the Kenyan film Rafiki, which remains banned in her home country.
The Kenya Film Classification Board prohibited Rafiki last year, citing its depiction of lesbian relationships as contravening local laws. Homosexuality, a criminal offense under Kenya’s colonial-era legal framework, carries a maximum 14-year prison sentence, though a High Court ruling on the ban is pending.
The film, adapted from Ugandan writer Monica Arac de Nyeko’s short story Jambula Tree, follows two young women navigating a romantic relationship amid familial and societal opposition. Its director, Wanuri Kahiu, celebrated the award on social media, stating, "The oldest African film festival acknowledged a queer character… Queerness cannot be silenced!"
Other winners at the 50th-anniversary edition included Marc Zinga for best actor in The Mercy of the Jungle and Rwandan filmmaker Joel Karekezi, who received the festival’s top prize, the golden stallion of Yennenga.
