Kenya Films and Classifications Chief Executive Officer Ezekiel Mutua has issued a stern warning against artists engaging in sexual explicit performances.
According to Dr Mutua, KFCB will take stern measures against artists keen to promote “obscene activities akin to porn”.
Speaking during a press conference in Nairobi, the KFCB boss also noted that the board will not shy from banning public performances that promote immorality in the country.
“Although the board supports creativity, we are deeply concerned about a false belief that only sexualised content appeals to audiences,” he said.
The tough talking Mutua, directed that those those artists who want to strip in order to perform to seek licences for stripping as the board will not tolerate performances that “dishonour and contravene common decency and those that objectify.
“While the board recognises the constitutional rights to free expression, we shall not allow art to be used as a vehicle to degrade our culture or promote indecent behaviour,” Dr Mutua said.
He put on the spot several entertainment joints in the country including, close hotels, clubs, discotheques and other public places in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi and other places where he said artists engage in obscene activities in the name of entertainment.
Dr Mutua vowed to engage law enforcement agencies and the Ministry of Interior to implement policies that the board will release soon.
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“The board shall ensure that places where such performances take place are regulated and shows served with new terms and conditions that we shall announce in due course,” he said.
According to the man who has now been branded a moral police, the move was necessitated following a huge public outcry concerning certain top artists in the country keen to mislead the young generation especially the children.
“The board is disturbed at the extent to which some famous artistes are going to attract audiences and relevance by exposing their private parts in public, gyrating in obscene ways and failure to uphold common decency in their public performances,” said Dr Mutua.
However, he denied limiting his fight to a recent performance in Malindi by popular Kenyan artist Esther Akoth alias Akothee whose stunts elicited public outcry.
The CEO rebuked Akothee terming her moves “filthy and stupid stunts” she has to pull to remain relevant.
“Kenya has got talent but as long as we keep celebrating this kind of madness, our entertainment industry will never grow. Akothee is talented but the filthy and stupids stunts she has to pull to remain relevant should concern all of us. What’s worse is to see grown up men and women celebrating this scatological obscenity in the name of entertainment,” said Dr Mutua.
However, the remarks didn’t go well with Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris who criticized the KFCB boss, further, demanding him [Mutua] to issue an apology.
Speaking on Thursday during KTN’s morning show, the legislator claimed Dr Mutua overstepped other people’s boundaries.
“There is no law that stops what Akothee did in Watamu, or anyone else, I grew up in Mombasa where chakacha was normal. We are talking about entertainment… people paid to go.”
“Sexuality is beautiful, when he put them at the garden of Eden, he didn’t clothe them, he put them there naked. I feel that there is an element of control, this is a patriarchal society, men want to control women,” she said.
The legislator called on Mutua – who was also on the panel -to apologise to Akothee after his vitriolic attack on Facebook.
“You owe Akothee an apology because you insulted her and called her demonic,” said Passaris.
She argued that, Kenyans and Dr Mutua were a little too much on Akothee and should let her be.
Read: Esther Passaris Tells Off KFCB CEO Ezekiel Mutua For Rebuking Naked Akothee, Demands Apology
Further she said it’s not Akothee’s duty to teach children morals.
“It is not her duty to teach our children, it’s our duty as parents to teach our children. She is a single mother, she inspires a lot of people,” the legislator said.
“She didn’t do it in a school compound, she didn’t do it for under age children.”
On his part, the KFCB boss affirmed that he has no apologies to make.
“It’s not about controlling what or killing creativity it’s about societies setting a moral threshold on how they want to behave. To that extent we have no apologies whatsoever, Esther can say what she wants, Akothee can say what she wants but as long as it’s in public performance..that kind of nonsense is stage play.”
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