Kenya has banned a new film by the celebrated Kenyan director Wanuri Kahiu saying it violates Kenyan law and morals. Her new film, “Rafiki,” is a coming-of-age tale of two girls falling in love, inspired by an award-winning short story by a Ugandan author. In May, the film will become the first feature-length movie from Kenya ever to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival (May 8 – May 19). VOA’s Daniel Schearf met with Kahiu in Nairobi and has this report.
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American actress Ashley Judd on Monday filed a defamation and sexual harassment lawsuit against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, alleging that he damaged her career after she refused his sexual advances.

The civil lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in Santa Monica, alleges that Weinstein caused Judd to lose a part in 1998 in the film “The Lord of the Rings” by making “baseless smears” against her.

The lawsuit, reviewed by Reuters, alleges that Weinstein “was retaliating against Ms. Judd for rejecting his sexual demands approximately one year earlier, when he cornered her in a hotel room under the guise of discussing business.”

“Weinstein used his power in the entertainment industry to damage Ms. Judd’s reputation and limit her ability to find work,” the lawsuit added.

Weinstein has denied non-consensual sex with anyone. His spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment on Monday.

Judd was one of the first women in October 2017 to make an on the record allegation of sexual misconduct against Weinstein, which soon afterward evolved into the social media #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault. The Oscar-winning producer has since been accused of sexual impropriety by more than 70 women.

Judd, a leading member of the “Time’s Up” movement against sexual harassment in the workplace, is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial.

Judd’s representative did not immediately return a call for comment.

The actress said in a statement to the New York Times that any financial recuperation from the lawsuit would be donated to Time’s Up “so that women and men in all professions may have legal redress for sexual harassment, economic retaliation and damage to their careers.”
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Screaming fans greeted former boy band ‘NSync on Monday just like it was the turn of the last century as the group that helped catapult Justin Timberlake to stardom was honored with their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Timberlake reunited with Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick along Hollywood Boulevard for the unveiling of the emblematic terrazzo and brass star that is one of the city’s major tourist attractions.

“We’re really a family,” Timberlake, 37, said, addressing the crowd.

“I don’t really think I could put into words how much the four of you mean to me. … I just love all of you so much,” he added.

One of the most successful groups of the teen pop era that also launched the careers of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, ‘NSync was greeted with adoring screams and a spontaneous sing-a-long to hit “Tearin’ Up My Heart.”

The band’s second album, 2000’s “No Strings Attached,” held the U.S. record for first week sales with 2.41 million for 15 years.

Spectators chanted “reunite” and “sing” during the ceremony.

‘NSync last released an album of new music in 2001 and performed together full time in 2002. They last performed together at the 2013 MTV Music Video Awards.

Bass, who revealed he was gay in 2006, spoke about how he feared for the group’s success if he came out.

“I wanted to so badly let you know I was you; I just didn’t have the strength then,” Bass said.

‘NSync has sold more than 40 million records worldwide. They were founded in 1995 in Orlando, Florida.
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For the first time since 1943, there’s a notable risk that no Nobel Prize in literature will be awarded this year.

 

And that’s not because the world’s authors, poets, essayists and other writers have been found wanting.

 

The painful, though not unprecedented possibility arises from sex abuse and financial crimes scandals involving the Swedish Academy, the body that chooses the Nobel literature winner.

 

The august academy has admitted that “unacceptable behavior in the form of unwanted intimacy” took place within its ranks, but its handling of unseemly allegations has shredded the body’s credibility, called into question its judgment and forced its first female leader to resign.

 

A debate over how to face up to its flaws also divided its 18 members — who are appointed for life — into hostile camps and prompted seven members to leave or disassociate themselves from the secretive group.

 

The latest defection, announced Saturday, has left the prestigious institution with only 11 people to consider who should win the 2018 Nobel Prize in literature.

 

At its upcoming weekly meeting in Stockholm on Thursday, the Swedish Academy could decide to postpone or cancel awarding the prize this year — because it’s in no shape to pick a winner. Anders Olsson, the permanent secretary of the academy, hinted at that scenario in remarks to Swedish public broadcaster SR last week.

 

If the academy does go ahead and choose a winner for 2018, some experts say the laureate’s accomplishments could be tainted or overshadowed by a mess they had no hand in creating.

 

“It really depends on who gets it. That person needs to know what the academy has gone through and maybe respond to the crisis,” Mads Rosendahl Thomsen, a literature professor with Denmark’s Aarhus University, said.

 

The world’s most prestigious prizes in science, medicine, literature and peacemaking have been withheld 49 times in all since the honors based on the will of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel began in 1901.

 

No Nobel prizes at all were awarded during the World War II years of 1940-42. The Nobel literature prize was not given out on seven occasions so far: 1914, 1918, 1935 and 1940-43.

 

In 1914, 1918 and 1943, neither the peace prize nor the literature prize was conferred, while the science and medicine prizes were presented. In 1935, no literature candidate was deemed worthy of a Nobel, but winners were chosen in the other fields.

 

Science and medicine Nobels have been awarded every year since 1942 but the Peace Prize was not given in 1972. The economics prize, which is not directly related to Nobel’s will, began in 1968 and has never not been awarded annually.

The Swedish Academy’s internal feud was triggered by a sex-abuse scandal linked to Jean-Claude Arnault, a major cultural figure in Sweden who is also the husband of poet Katarina Frostenson, an academy member.

 

Last fall, a leading Swedish newspaper published sexual misconduct claims from 18 women against Arnault, who runs a cultural center the academy used to help fund. The 71-year-old Arnault has denied the allegations, but police say they are investigating some of them.

 

Swedish daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet first reported the multiple allegations against Arnault last year. In April, the newspaper published a story alleging that Arnault pawed Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria 12 years ago, letting his hand slide from her neck to her rear. One of the princess’ aides quickly removed the hand, the paper said, citing three unnamed sources.

 

Arnault also has been suspected of violating century-old Nobel rules by leaking names of winners of the prestigious award — allegedly seven times, starting in 1996. It was not clear to whom the names were allegedly disclosed.

 

Some male academy members tried to force Frostenson out for her husband’s alleged misdeeds and announced they would not remain part of the group when the vote on their motion failed. For technical reasons, they can’t actually resign. Frostenson herself then withdrew on the same day the academy’s leader, professor and writer Sara Danius, was forced out.

An uproar ensued as observers noted that — despite the worldwide influence of the (hash)MeToo movement — female members of the academy appeared to be paying the price for a man’s alleged misdeeds. The academy has since banned Arnault from Nobel events.

 

Rosendahl Thomsen, the literature professor in Denmark, said “it could be sensible” for the academy to postpone the 2018 literature prize until the internal issues are resolved.

 

“Generally speaking, the academy is an institution that thrives on tradition and opacity,” he said. “It must be modern, but keep some mystique around it at the same time.”

 

The air of intrigue thickened Friday when the financial crimes unit of the Swedish police said it had launched a preliminary probe “connected with the Swedish Academy.” Police did not elaborate.

 

Swedish media reported that spouses Frostenson and Arnault are at the heart of the allegations, which focus on grant payments to Arnault’s cultural center. The Swedish Academy financed the operations of the Forum center from 2010 until late 2017, when the sex abuse allegations against Arnault surfaced.

 

The Nobel Foundation itself says the Nobel Prize in literature risks losing its dignity from the scandals.

 

Rebecca Lundberg, the culture news editor of Swedish broadcaster SVT, has likened the twists and turns to “a Greek drama.” She has called for a complete overhaul of how the academy, which was established in 1786, is being regulated.

 

“We won’t be able to appoint Nobel prize winners if there is no reinterpretation of the statutes,” Lundberg told SVT.

 

The academy’s patron, Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf, has said work to allow members to resign has started. As the body’s rules now stand, members of the 18-seat board are not technically permitted to leave and it takes 12 people to vote in a new member.

 

“One can’t help thinking about the tensions that must have been inside the academy just by picking a winner — and the spectrum has been large in recent years,” Rosendahl Thomsen said, listing recipients such as Belarusian journalist Svetlana Alexievich in 2015 and singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in 2016. “One has to wonder what the atmosphere has been.”
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The revelation that “The Crown” star Claire Foy was paid less than her male co-star caused a royal scandal last month as the latest example of sexism in the entertainment industry.

Now the award-winning actor will reportedly receive back pay for her performance as Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, as the makers of the acclaimed Netflix drama seek to close the gender pay gap.

It is not known how much more actor Matt Smith was paid for playing Prince Philip in the first two seasons of the hit show, but media reports said Foy would get about $274,000 in back pay.

“The Crown,” a series about the British royal family, is one of the most expensive television shows ever produced, with the first season costing a reported $130 million.

When details of the pay gap emerged last month, the producers attributed it to Smith’s six-year stint as the star of “Dr. Who,” one of Britain’s most popular television shows.

They did not give details of the gap and said they would rectify it in the future.

Foy, 33, won a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild awards for her nuanced portrayal of Britain’s monarch in the 1950s and 1960s.

Other actors will take on the roles of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in season three of the show, as the characters age and the story moves into the 1970s.

The ongoing disparity between men and women is reflected in annual lists published by Forbes magazine. In 2017, Emma Stone topped the best-paid actress list with $26 million, while Mark Wahlberg was the highest paid man with $68 million in estimated annual earnings.

Wahlberg made news earlier this year when it was revealed that he was paid $1.5 million for reshoots on movie “All the Money in the World” while co-star Michelle Williams got $1,000.

Wahlberg later donated his salary to Time’s Up, the campaign against workplace sexual misconduct.
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“Whenever I was with her, I was open. I could talk … my sexuality does not define who I am.” 

These words are from a new book, “She Called Me Woman: Nigeria’s Queer Women Speak.”

The new book, released this week, is a collection of interviews with two dozen women. It offers an unprecedented window into what it means to be a queer woman in Nigeria, where homosexuality is illegal.

Intimate interviews

The book recounts a series of intimate interviews with 25 lesbian Nigerian women of various religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.

“I’m really nervous and I’m also nervous about the reception of Nigerians to the book,” Woman A, as she asked to be referred to, told VOA.

Woman A, one of the women featured in the book, said most queer Nigerian women are like her, living in the closet.

In 2014, Nigeria banned same-sex marriage. The law is far-reaching. It also bans any cohabitation or public displays of affection, like kissing or hand holding, between same-sex partners. Anyone who breaks the law could face up to 14 years in prison. 

There is also a 10-year prison sentence for anyone who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs or organizations.

Human Rights Watch said with the law, Nigeria effectively criminalized being LGBTQ — lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.

That’s what makes this book so groundbreaking.

One woman reveals she lives with her partner in Abuja, which is illegal. She says it’s nice to wake up in the morning and have a cup of tea ready for her. Another woman speaks with anguish about the religious dilemma she faces being queer and Christian in Nigeria. 

Azeenarh Mohammed, one of the book’s editors, helped capture the one-on-one interviews. She said discussions of homosexuality in Africa focus on men. Lesbians have been excluded.

“There was an erasure of them. We said they really need to be heard and the reason why they hadn’t been heard is because the mic had not been passed to them. So we tried to do that with the book to let them be heard in their own voice with their own words,” Mohammed told VOA.

Bracing for a backlash

The book has garnered buzz on social media. Many people say they’re worried that homosexual lifestyles may become normalized in Nigerian society. Others say they have already pre-ordered the book in anticipation.

The book was published and released in the U.K., but the book’s editors say it will soon be available in Nigeria. They are bracing for backlash. In the past, the Nigerian government has banned controversial art, including books.

“Personally I’m curious, and I’m definitely going to read this book. To hear that there’s women talking about the fact that they’re queer and what they want to do is get with other women I think, to even be talking about it, I’m excited that we’re talking about it. I think this book is needed,” said Rosemary Ajuka, a feminist and media professional based in the Nigeria’s business hub of Lagos.

The book’s release comes as authorities in Kenya ban the new film by celebrated Kenyan director Waniru Kahiu. The film, called “Rafiki,” is a coming-of-age story about two girls falling in love. It will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, the first feature-length Kenyan film ever to do so.

“Inxeba,” another controversial film won six South African Film and Television Awards in March, despite campaigns to ban it by community groups and political leaders. The film portrays two boys developing a sexual attraction for each other while participating in a cultural rite of passage ceremony for young men from the Xhosa ethnic group. The film was removed from some cinemas in the South Africa.

Optimistic but cautious

An oft-repeated sentiment is that homosexuality is un-African.

“Which is ridiculous, before just look at Nigeria for instance,” Mohammed said. “Homosexuality and queer identity is portrayed in the cultures of many ethnic groups and even across Africa, there is evidence that pre-dates colonialism that people were involved in same-sex romantic relationships.”

She said she’s hopeful that attitudes will change.

Asked what impact their book may have in Nigeria, Woman A is cautious.

“I wish someday I will be able to live openly, but until then…”

Until then, she said, she will keep living “in the closet.” 
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The Smithsonian Craft Show is wrapping up this weekend, highlighting works from artists across the United States. From Washington, VOA’s Jill Craig has more.
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If President Donald Trump isn’t comfortable being the target of jokes, comedian Michelle Wolf gave him and others plenty of reasons to squirm Saturday night.

“It’s 2018 and I’m a woman, so you cannot shut me up,” Wolf cracked, “unless you have Michael Cohen wire me $130,000.”

No, Trump’s personal attorney wasn’t there. And, for the second year, Trump himself skipped the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association, preferring to criticize journalists and others during a campaign-style rally near Detroit.

Wolf, the after-dinner entertainment for the White House press corps and their guests, was surprisingly racy for the venue and seemed more at home on HBO than C-SPAN. After one crass joke drew groans in the Washington Hilton ballroom, she laughed and said, “Yeah, shoulda done more research before you got me to do this.”

​Trump in Michigan

As he did last year, Trump flew to a Republican-friendly district to rally supporters on the same night as the dinner. In Washington Township, Michigan, the president assured his audience he’d rather be there than in that other city by that name.

“Is this better than that phony Washington White House Correspondents’ Dinner? Is this more fun?” Trump asked, sparking cheers.

“I could be up there tonight, smiling, like I love where they’re hitting you, shot after shot. These people, they hate your guts … and you’ve got to smile. If you don’t smile, they say, ‘He was terrible, he couldn’t take it.’ And if you do smile, they’ll say, “What was he smiling about?’”

Wolf’s act had some in the audience laughing and left others in stony silence. A blistering critique of press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was seated just feet away, mocked everything from her truthfulness to her appearance and Southern roots.

Among Wolf’s less offensive one-liners:

“Just a reminder to everyone, I’m here to make jokes, I have no agenda, I’m not trying to get anything accomplished, so everyone that’s here from Congress you should feel right at home.”
“It is kinda crazy that the Trump campaign was in contact with Russia when the Hillary campaign wasn’t even in contact with Michigan.”
“He wants to give teachers guns, and I support that because then they can sell them for things they need like supplies.”

Dimmed star power

The dinner once attracted Oscar winners and other notable performers in film and television as well as celebrities in sports and other high-profile professions. The star power dimmed appreciably last year when the famously thin-skinned Trump, who routinely slammed reporters as dishonest and their work as “fake news,” announced he wasn’t attending. He was the first president to skip the event since Ronald Reagan bowed out in 1981 as he recovered from an assassination attempt.

Unlike last year, when Trump aides also declined to attend, the Trump White House had its contingent, including counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Former administration officials were on hand, such as onetime press secretary Sean Spicer, ex-chief of staff Reince Priebus, former chief economic adviser Gary Cohn and political aide Omarosa Manigault-Newman.

At least one Trump antagonist attended — porn star Stormy Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti, who tweeted that he and Conway had a “spirited discussion.” And there was comedian Kathy Griffin, who last year posted controversial video of herself holding what appeared to be Trump’s bloody head; she later apologized.
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Fats Domino was a New Orleans musical legend when he died last year, so it’s only fitting that he and his music receive a special send-off this year during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Organizers on Saturday marked the occasion with a jazz funeral as well as a special tribute performance in his honor. 

Al “Lil Fats” Jackson played the classic Domino song Blueberry Hill as crowds gathered at the festival’s ancestor area to remember Domino.

The festival unveiled a painting of Domino sitting at his piano to join the other paintings of luminaries associated with the festival who have died. 

One of Domino’s grandchildren, Angele Green, thanked the crowd for coming.

“In the words of my grandfather, let’s shake, rattle and roll,” she said.

Domino sold more than 110 million records, with hits including Blueberry Hill, Ain’t That a Shame and other standards of rock ‘n’ roll. 

Domino helped change popular music with his steady, pounding piano and easy baritone. Despite his fame, he always stayed loyal to New Orleans. After 2005’s Hurricane Katrina as floodwaters swept the city, he and his family were rescued by boat from his home but he lost three pianos and dozens of gold and platinum records and other memorabilia.

“There are two New Orleans musicians … that changed the music of the whole world. That’s Louis Armstrong and Fats Domino,” festival producer Quint Davis said before the festival, adding that he’d had a “wonderful time” going back and listening to Domino’s music to prepare for the festival.

Carolyn Stark of Ann Arbor, Mich., was part of the crowd. She said she’d seen Domino perform only once but wanted to pay her respects.

“He was so happy when he was playing,” she said, adding that the image had stuck in her memory.

Eather Reynolds of New Orleans said she often drives by the house where Domino lived for a long time in the city’s Lower 9th Ward neighborhood. She grew up listening to his music, which she described as part gospel and part jazz.

“But you could feel it in your soul,” she said. 

The tribute concert Saturday featured various members of Domino’s band who are still playing, as well as special musical guests like Bonnie Raitt and Jon Batiste.

The jazz funeral featured the Tornado Brass Band as well as three of the city’s social aid and pleasure clubs.

Domino is also featured on this year’s festival poster.

“He’s with us everywhere,” said Davis.
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Fats Domino was a New Orleans musical legend when he died last year so it’s only fitting that his death – and his music – receive a special send-off this year during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Organizers Saturday will mark the occasion with a jazz funeral as well as a special tribute performance in his honor.

Festival producer Quint Davis says there are two New Orleans musicians who “changed the music of the whole world.” One was Louis Armstrong and the other was Fats Domino.

The tribute concert Saturday will feature various members of Domino’s band who played with him. Special musical guests include Bonnie Raitt and Jon Batiste.
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The Arts and Crafts movement began in Britain and flourished in Europe at the turn of the 19th century. It stood for traditional crafts and against mass-produced goods that were popular in the United States at the time. But Americans too joined the movement and established the Roycroft Campus, which continues to represent and support true American arts and crafts. Olga Loginova of VOA’s Russian Service visited the campus in New York state.
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