Wanuri Kahiu: The filmmaker redefining what African stories are allowed to be

In this episode of The African Imaginary Podcast, host Khangi Khoza and filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu dive into Kikuyu naming and giving birth to your ancestors, the management degree her parents demanded before film school, Afrobubblegum and the right to make fun, fierce and frivolous African art, banning Rafiki and taking the state to court, directing Washington Black across three continents, hope as a discipline, and more. Read the companion essay on Substack Follow us on Instagram Follow Wanuri Kahiu on Instagram   Wanuri Kahiu is a Kenyan filmmaker, writer and producer based in Nairobi. She studied management science at Warwick before taking an MFA in film at UCLA, then returned to Kenya, where her science-fiction short Pumzi set out the concerns — ecology, imagination, hope — that run through her work. She coined Afrobubblegum, an argument for 'fun, fierce and frivolous' African art; her 2018 feature Rafiki was the first Kenyan film to screen at Cannes and was banned at home, and her legal challenge produced a ruling that the ban was unconstitutional. She has since directed the Netflix feature Look Both Ways and directed and executive produced the Hulu series Washington Black. * The African Imaginary on Linktree Our Website