Rafiki (2018)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Wanuri Kahiu directs this romantic drama set in Kenya. Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) is a studious teenager hoping to become a nurse when she falls for the extroverted Ziki (Sheila Munyiva). As both women get to know each other they must tread carefully as same-sex relationships are still illegal, as well as this, their relationship also risks scandalising the reputations of their respective fathers (Jimmi Gathu and Dennis Musyoka) who are both seeking representation in the upcoming regional elections.
- Actors:
- Samantha Mugatsia, Neville Misati, Nice Githinji, Charlie Karumi, Muthoni Gathecha, Vitalis Waweru, Sheila Munyiva, Mellen Aura, Leila Weema, Jimmy Gathu, Nini Wacera, Stephen Ruiru, Mburu Kimani, Githae Njogu, Dennis Musyoka, Patricia Amira, Patricia Kihoro, Jane Wachu, Priscilla Wanjiku, Mary Wanjiku
- Directors:
- Wanuri Kahiu
- Writers:
- Wanuri Kahiu, Jenna Cato Bass
- Genres:
- Drama, Lesbian & Gay, Romance
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Reviews (1) of Rafiki
Love the Colour of a Rainbow in the Crosshairs - Rafiki review by griggs
I went into Rafiki expecting an African LGBTQ+ twist on Romeo and Juliet. It is that, but boiling it down to forbidden love across family lines undersells it. Wanuri Kahiu keeps the storytelling direct, spelling out the stakes with clarity rather than metaphor. The setting is no backdrop—it’s a Kenya where same-sex relationships are criminalised, and social conservatism is enforced as rigidly as the law.
Kena and Ziki’s romance blooms in bursts of colour and laughter, their flirtations shot in warm pinks and tropical light. Yet the world around them closes in: gossip, church sermons, and the threat of real legal consequences hang over every stolen glance. Kahiu’s style is deceptively light, letting the joy of first love shine even as she shows how precarious it is.
It’s a simple film in structure, but politically bold and emotionally resonant. More than a love story, Rafiki is a quiet act of resistance—proving that tenderness can be as radical as protest.