Screening & Colloquium: "Stories of Our Lives" (Jim Chuchu, 2014)

In November 2026, as part of the Shakara Fáyé 2026 cycle, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Alicante (MACA) hosts a screening and in-depth colloquium of Stories of Our Lives — a landmark, black-and-white anthology film born from real-life testimonies across Kenya. In 2013, Nairobi-based art collective The Nest Collective travelled the country gathering intimate, courageous stories from LGBTQ+ individuals: gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, trans and intersex people. From those oral histories emerged five interconnected short films — tender, raw, and unflinching narratives of love, rejection, betrayal, and resilience in both urban and rural Kenyan landscapes.

Banned on release in Kenya and premiered anonymously out of fear for the filmmakers’ safety, the film’s political urgency has only intensified: in 2026, Senegal escalated prison sentences for homosexuality to 5–10 years, while Kenya retains colonial-era penal codes criminalising same-sex relations.

Following the screening, acclaimed Equatorial Guinean writer and human rights activist Rusly Cachina Esapa — author of Guess Who I Am — will lead a reflective dialogue on the intersections of gender identity, migration, decolonial justice, and bodily autonomy across Africa and the diaspora.

Organised by Solidaridad Internacional País Valenciano and Tren al Sur, with support from the City Council of Alicante, Generalitat Valenciana, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Universidad de Alicante, Institut Français, and numerous cultural partners. Free admission — registration recommended via Eventbrite.