Musician Otieno Aloka was sentenced to six months in prison or a fine of Ksh120,000 (around 936 euros) because of a music video streamed on Facebook.
Read More »Kenya: The Kenya High Court ruling on the ban of the Rafiki film violates international standards on artistic expression
The Kenya High Court ruled that that the legislative measures used to censor the film "Rafiki" do not breach Article 33 of the Constitution of Kenya.
Read More »Kenya: Festival organisers pull artists off stage over performance
Lamu Cultural Festival organisers stopped the performance of Tanzanian music group Offside Trick for allegedly indecent and obscene dances.
Read More »Kenya: Musician flees country over political song
Musician Tom Mboya Ang’ang’a (Atomy Sifa) was forced to leave Kenya for Tanzania after he claimed to receive death threats from unknown people over a song.
Read More »Kenya: Censorship board continues to expand its moral policing
The Kenya Film Certification Board banned 6 US-produced cartoons after they described them as “normalising" and "glorifying homosexual behaviour”.
Read More »Kenya: Film board bans “obscene” music and “offensive” musician names
Kenya’s Film Classification Board (KFCB) and its head, Ezekiel Mutua, announced on 19 November 2016 that they have issued a ban on local musicians using stage names they consider to be “offensive”, as well as the sale of music that contains “obscene” lyrics or glorifies drug abuse and violence. Mutua …
Read More »Kenya: Draft law on film and theatre censorship broad and severe
Ezekiel Mutua, Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) CEO, has come under fire ever since he unveiled a draft Films, Stage Plays and Publications Act in September 2016 intended to replace the outdated 1963 Films and Stage Plays Act, due to it extending the board’s responsibilities to regulating all parts of …
Read More »Kenya: LGBT music video banned
The Kenyan Film and Classification Board banned Art Attack’s video for its remix of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ gay rights song ‘Same Love’ on the grounds that “it does not adhere to the morals of the country”, Kenyan newspaper The Star reported on 23 February 2016. Board chairman Ezekiel Mutua …
Read More »A brush too far? Six art pieces that stirred controversy in Africa
“A selection of bold, daring and provocative art makes up this list of six art pieces from around the continent. In one way or another, they challenged the communities they appeared in. Sometimes the artwork offended people’s political sensibilities, sometimes it challenged people’s sense of African social norms and customs. …
Read More »Six countries ban ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ film
Countries that often object to sexual content – Malaysia, Indonesia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and India – have banned ‘Fifty Shades’ from cinema theatres. Authorities in Russia’s North Caucasus have also banned the film. In Malaysia, the head of the film censorship board called it “more pornography than a movie”, according to …
Read More »