Why we released gay video - Artistes talk about banned explicit video

 L-R: Joji Baro, Soila Cole, Noti Flow and Vanessa Chettle

“Warning: This video contains imagery and a message that may be unnecessarily offensive to some.”

This is a disclaimer that runs at the bottom end of the new Kenyan video Same Love (Remix), the release, last week, which has created a buzz in town with the managing to get over 51,000 hits in matter of days.

Right after this warning, the disclaimer further goes: “(This is a) Kenyan song about same sex rights, gay rights, LGBT struggles, gender equalities, gay struggles and civil liberties for all sexual orientations.”

And as the video itself starts, a catchy quote taken from David Viscott invites: “To love and to be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” Coming as no surprise, the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) flexed their muscles on Tuesday morning, banning the video with the CEO Ezekiel Mutua terming the video as containing immoral content. “The video currently circulating on YouTube consists of lyrics that strongly advocate for gay rights in Kenya complete with sexually graphic scenes between people of the same gender as well as nudity and pornography,” he told the media.

He further stated that KFCB had approached Google and requested that the video be pulled down from Google and YouTube search engines adding that expeditious action on the video be taken to avoid further violation of the law with the police requesting the public not to distribute the video.

“The video was banned today morning. The news got to me through TV. I don’t have an official communication on this but I think it’s because of the whole gay thing that creates the theme in the video,” Noti Flow, one of the main executors of the controversial project, a singer who has in the past revealed to Pulse that she is bisexual, says.

In the video, the hot, easily likable and social rapper plays a lesbian lover to Soila Cole, a bisexual as well.

“The song was a collabo between me and Art Attack but the story is that of Joji Baro. We all worked together on it. The role I was playing was all acting. Soila and I are not dating,” Noti Flow tells Pulse.

Currently single, she confirms rumours of having a short-lived relationship with the popular Vanessa Chettle before their bitter breakup sometime last year.

“Vanessa and I were dating but it didn’t go well. We had some differences. She thought Soila and I were having an affair and she was not happy with that. As much as I tried to reach out and explain, she did not give me a chance to do so,” she explains.

Noti Flow reveals that her former lover is the one who was initially supposed to be in the video but since the two separated, her role was given to Soila, the other girl in the controversial love triangle.

“I have said it before that I don’t intend to announce that I am not straight. However, the truth is that I am open to a relationship with any gender. Besides, that is not the agenda we were pushing in the video. It was nothing personal. It was more to do with art,” Noti Flow further tells Pulse.

“I chose to be in the video because I support LGBT rights. If America and other countries in the world have accepted it, why not Kenya?’’ she quips.

The video that was shot outside the country for two weeks depicts the story of a true character.

“I was prompted by my good friend Joji Baro and his story of struggle and pain as a gay man in Kenya. Inspired by his resilience, courage and perseverance I translated his whole past into a song and had it recorded. We made it controversial because we wanted to show all aspects of being gay; the struggle, the walk, the discrimination, the pain, the romance, the love, the kisses and lovemaking. Everything! All aspects and angles of love were factored. Just like you see in traditional heterosexual videos, we acted the part,” Art Attack, the rapper behind the song reveals during the interview with Pulse.

“This song goes out to the new slaves. The new black slew genes, the new minorities for whom we need a new civics rights movement, maybe a sex rights movement, especially in Africa, This goes out to you,” the introductory lines go before powerful pictures of suggestive male lovers capture the view leading to powerful same sex lyrically centred clips.

“And I can’t change, and I can’t change, even if I try, even if I try. I love her, I love her. She keeps me warm,” Noti Flow echoes the emotional refrain as she holds her partner’s hand, the girl she is said to be dating.

The video is full of newspaper cuttings, screaming headlines that address the big debate: homosexuality. It mentions outright gay movement advocates like Binyavanga Wainaina with images of male lovers kissing among other graphic images.

“Art Attack is a rapper under an umbrella of other artistes and rappers as well as singers and video directors and producers. More like Asap Mob, a music movement that houses Asap Mob and family, our umbrella body works with people who play different aspects in showbiz. So Art Attack is a family of artistes and activists. We have the right to speak about other people’s rights, push for inclusivity and acceptance of all by all without creating any stigma,” he explains.

As to why he is conspicuously absent from the video, Art Attack credits his reason to Michael Jackson’s Cry and Heal The World videos, which told a powerful story without featuring the pop star.

Michael Jackson was rumoured to have had controversial behaviours with a number of reports citing that he was having affairs with young boys.

This is the kind of mind many critics picked about Art Attack- that he is not straight. And to these curious minds, he says he is not.

“Yes I’m that guy everyone is talking about saying I act a bit twisted. I am that guy wearing the blue shirt, yes I am,” Joji Baro confirms.

“It is my story. The story focuses on my life and the struggles I went through as a gay man in Kenya, something that is not accepted here,” he says.

At 25, the controversial singer and actor who does inspirational and gospel music adds that he is a born-again Christian who adheres to religious teachings and morals contrary to common judgement that he advocates to the otherwise ungodly practice that is same sex relationships.

“I attend church and I am a born again Christian. I’m very out.... like 110 per cent. I don’t hide my sexual orientation,” he says of his sexuality.

“I sing melodies inspired by hymns. I have around seven songs, the new song whose video is being banned is the eighth one. I have an LGBT album with four songs and a gospel album with three songs. I don’t have a problem singing about love or exposing my sexual orientation in the club because I’m more accepted out there than in the church,” he remarks.

A taboo in many African settings, he says he has gone through persecution by many through stigmatisation. However, he vows to soldier on: “A fan recently came and told me on my face that I will never find love. He said I will die lonely. He said I will die alone and that no one will bury me.”

“The truth is that my family doesn’t support my sexuality so we had a misunderstanding and parted ways five years ago. It was just recently when we started the reconciliation process,” the artiste who also doubles as a model and pageant holder of Mr Red Ribbon fashion and modelling stable says. He is also the first runner up of Mr Pink modelling completion.

As to whether the ban will be enforced by the authorities, only time will tell. With over 50,000 views in less than a week since it was uploaded, the video was still accessible on both search engines eliciting different reactions at the comments section at the time of going to press.