Earlier this month, the filmmakers of Ife, Nigeria's first mainstream lesbian love story made headlines when they announced their decision to release their film online, in an attempt to subvert the efforts of the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB). The NFVCB said Nigeria's laws make no allowances for queer content. "There's a standing law that prohibits homosexuality, either in practice or in a movie or even in a theatre or on stage. If it's content from Nigeria, it has to be censored," said the head of the NFVCB.
A number of artists around the content have found themselves on the wrong side of that law and state, facing banning and condemnation of their LGBTIQ+ positive works. In South Africa, Inxeba, starring Nakhane was pulled from cinemas. In Kenya, a lesbian coming of age film Rafiki was banned by its government. Arts24 takes a brief look at LGBTIQ+ art censorship on the continent.
