Born in Nairobi, Wanuri Kahiu is part of the new generation of African filmmakers. Her films have received international acclaim and have been screened in more than 100 film festivals around the world. To date, Kahiu has written and directed six films and is working on her second feature length film.

Wanuri Kahiu was selected for the Story Lab for her project Camel Racer, which she is co-writing with Nnedi Okorafor. She recently gave a TED talk where she introduced the concept of AfroBubbleGum—fun, fierce and fantastical African Art. ([ Ссылка ])

Fun, fierce & frivolous
Wanuri believes that, while there is a valuable place for serious social commentary, there is also a place for frivolity—art that gets its value purely from entertaining audiences, not by teaching agenda-driven and policy-driven messages. It is too often the case in African filmmaking that the film’s agenda overtakes its entertainment value. Growing up, she recognised that the animation she saw on TV which captivated her imagination did not accurately reflect where she is from.

Joy misrepresented
As a mother of two, Wanuri can see the same story in her own kids, and feels that the joy she experiences in her daily life is misrepresented. Too often, Africa is represented as a place where hardship and struggle has to be overcome. What about the laughter, fun, sense of humour and wellbeing of African cultures?, she asks. "It’s important that we see ourselves as happy, so that we can claim happiness, it’s important that we write and speak happiness, so that we can create happiness.”

Celebrating the abundance of spirit
The ability to rise up in laughter is important because, as humans, we strive to be worthy of happiness and joy. Wanuri challenges us to strive to find joy and represent joy in the characters and worlds we create.

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This is an extract from the Animate Africa/Triggerfish Story Lab webinar on 4 November 2017.

Music performed by Annike Pienaar, produced by Pamela and Stefan Myburgh

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