Synopsis: A series of five beautifully shot short films focusing on identity, based on the true stories of young LGBT Kenyans collected for an archival project, ‘Stories Of Our Lives’: ASK ME NICELY (ITISHA POA) - Kate, a rebellious young high school student, meets first-love Faith, a fellow student. When school authorities separate the two, Kate impulsively has a sexual encounter with a boy in her neighbourhood. Two weeks later, Kate and Faith have an awkward reunion; RUN - After negotiating a business deal, Patrick stumbles upon a local gay bar with his homophobic best friend, Kama. Patrick later returns to the club for a night out, hoping no one will find out; ATHMAN - Farm workers Raymond and Athman have been close friends for years. Hurt by Athman’s flirtatious relationship with newcomer Fiona, Raymond has to make a difficult choice; DUET - Jeff is waiting in a hotel room far away from home. He has been saving for months to fulfill his ultimate fantasy of a sexual encounter with a white guy. Finally, there is a knock at the door; EACH NIGHT I DREAM - When local legislators threaten to enforce anti-gay laws, mobs gather to evict people suspected of being homosexuals. As tension in their neighborhood increases, Liz visualises dramatic escape plans for herself and partner Achi.www.storiesofourlives.org

The director: Jim Chuchu is a visual artist, filmmaker and musician from Nairobi, Kenya. He is also co-founder and Creative Director at The NEST collective - a multidisciplinary art space in Nairobi currently including 10 collaborating artists, social workers and entrepreneurs. He and the collective have said of the film: "This film is about fighting openly for the right of Africans to have different opinions, different worldviews, different identities and dreams - and for all these multiple identities to co-exist." To be openly LGBT in Kenya is punishable by law, so for the filmmakers and actors to participate in such a public project is to put themselves at great personal risk: “We decided to reveal our identities as the creators of this film because we believe strongly that the fight for this right to define one's self, this right to be complex and different and unique, should be fought for proudly and openly.” www.jimchuchu.com www.thisisthenest.com

Homosexuality is often presented by African governments as ‘un-African’, and there are strict anti-homosexuality laws in most African countries; in 2014, the Kenya Film Classification Board banned Stories of our Lives from distribution or screening in Kenya, on the grounds that it promotes homosexuality.  Discuss: How did the film make you feel about the lives of these young people in Kenya; which story interested you most, and why? What do you know about the current situation of LGBT people in Kenya before the film, what did the film reveal that you didn’t know before? The stories are set in a range of rural and urban locations – what are the different experiences of LGBT people living in these areas; do anti-homosexuality laws reach evenly across the country?  Discover: According to the International Gay and Lesbian Association, in 2008 homosexuality was outlawed in 38 African countries: in Mauritania, Sudan, and northern Nigeria homosexuality is punishable by death, while in Uganda, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone, prosecution can lead to life imprisonment. In Kenya, homosexuality is considered to be against the “cultural values and morality of Kenya” and is seen and punished as a crime. Find out more about anti- homosexuality laws across Africa at the US Library of Congress website http://www.loc.gov/law/help/criminal-laws-on-homosexuality/african-nations- laws.php and read other individual’s stories such as Mary Muthui’s at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/being-gay-in-kenya-im-a- refugeein-my-country-9688587.html. Also think about the lasting impact of colonialism in Africa, both on government legislation (see http://www.thinkafricapress.com/gender/homosexuality-un-african-colonialism) and on African LGBT communities’ struggle to define themselves rather than taking on Western cultural/political concepts of ‘identity’ and ‘rights’ (see http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/story-of-our-lives-879): How are the anti-gay laws in Africa presented in the UK media, and what are your thoughts on Stories of our Lives being championed at Western film festivals, but banned in Kenya?

Despite strict laws, there are a few non-governmental and arts organizations and institutions working towards social acceptance of LGBT people, and ultimately influencing changes to the law. The NEST collective began the project with travelling in Kenya and recording stories of people identifying as LGBT; after several months of collecting hundreds of compelling stories, the collective decided to turn some of these stories into a film. Despite having no formal training in filmmaking, the collective created the film by sharing tasks, discussing technical issues as they emerged and exploring visual storytelling driven by their diverse fields of expertise and interest.  Discuss: Stories of our Lives is a brave statement by crew and cast, focused on changing opinion in Kenya, described by many reviewers as a ‘militant’ act. Do you think filmmaking has the ability to bring social awareness and lead to change in the law; can you think of any examples of this, in the UK or other countries? Think also about the issues involved in filmmaking without hierarchy: what might be the strengths and issues involved in working in this way?  Discover: More documentaries and fiction films about LGBT people in countries opposing their rights, such as Call Me Kuchu (Dirs Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall/USA-Uganda 2012) in which Ugandan activists work despite persecution to defeat the proposed death penalty for homosexuality; Born This Way (Dirs Shaun Kadlec, Deb Tullmann/USA-Cameroon 2013) is a documentary about the underground LGBT community in Cameroon; A Jihad for Love (Dir Parvez Sharma/USA-UK-France-Germany-Australia 2007) focuses on the lives of young Muslims, a lesbian couple from Turkey and an Egyptian couple, who keep their love secret from family and society.