The titlecard of *RAFIKI*. I wonder whose handwriting this is.

Lesbians

The Roncesvalles Quiet Book Club #14 was in the morning of July 14, and yet, what did I do around 3:30 AM? I decided to be brave and watch the film I'd dreaded ever since its release 8 years ago! Now I can finally answer every white lesbian who, as soon as she becomes aware of my existence, immediately asks me, "Have you seen RAFIKI?" with: "Yes, ma'am, I HAVE seen RAFIKI."

Lesbian Lesbians

When I realized that, as part of my Forcing Myself to Watch Movies challenge, I'd have to watch a queer romance starting with R, I was like, "Uh-oh."

The same way I dreaded watching 12 YEARS A SLAVE (I watched it, but not on purpose), the same way I'll probably never watch ROOTS. My traumas are not my entertainment. That kind of entertainment is not meant for me. But the queer romance starting with R was indeed RAFIKI, by Wanuri Kahiu. And it was gorgeous. Splendid. Magnificent.

Lesbian Lesbians Lesbianing

Best graphic design

The film first stroke me with its beautiful opening credits: animated collages on an upbeat soundtrack that surprised by setting a tone that was way different from my expectations. I had expected the film to be bleak and traumatic, not cool and romantic.

The music stops and the beat drops on this image. I love Black people!

The film first stroke me with its beautiful opening credits: animated collages on an upbeat soundtrack that surprised by setting a tone that was way different from my expectations. I had expected the film to be bleak and traumatic, not cool and romantic.

Best Soundtrack

This is the song you hear when the movie starts:

The entire soundtrack of the film is really nice. It made me discover incredible Kenyan artists, such as the rapper Muthoni Drummer Queen (who stars in 3 songs of the original soundtrack) and the singer Njoki Karu (who has two songs). I needed that. Black African women supporting lesbian art with their music.

Best casting

The actors are very talented. Each and everyone of them. I am not familiar with Kenyan cinema, so I don’t know if it’s always been like that, but I’m so glad to see that African filmmakers now have funds to hire talents and African actors now have training. We’re going to go places, I’m telling you! O BOSSO! Shoutout to Nini Wacera, casting director, actress and acting coach! You can tell that she’s taking acting skills very seriously. She sets the bar high. She also plays Mercy in the film (Kena’s very religious mother). And she steals every scene.

Lesbian lesbians lesbianing lesbianized

Best scenario

Kena comes from a very modest background, her parents are divorced and her very religious mom (with whom she lives) hasn’t taken the separation very well. Kena works with her loving dad, who runs a little street pharmacy and is the face of a political campaign. His main opponent is the very rich and very influent Peter Okemi.

Kena is always hanging out with the boys, and she can’t help but notice Peter Okemi’s daughter Ziki hanging out with the girls. One day, Ziki makes the first moveand the two of them start spending time together. Ziki asks Kena out, they go on dates, and they have the best time.

I didn’t know it was the film **adaptation of a short story!** (“Jambula Tree" by Monica Arac de Nyeko, a Kenya-based Ugandan writer) To whom it may concerned, my first published book is a collection of short stories (also available in Italian) and most of them are sapphic!

They both go to the same church where the preacher spits out homophobic sermons. Ziki is very handsy. Kena wants to be discrete. Ziki tells her she’s paranoid and that no one notices. But when it turns out that people do notice and don’t take it well, guess who tell whom to stop being naive…

The parallel between the fathers' reactions as they pick up their lesbian daughters from the police station is striking. Kena's father may lose the election, but he definitely wins my heart.

Best photography

Every shot of this film is a poem, the portrait of beauty itself. I wanted to press pause and take a photo literally every second. And starting from the incredible opening credits. When I’m 111 and ready to call it a life and you ask me what movies had the best photography in the history of cinema, RAFIKI will be one of them. See for yourself: