Love, corruption and gold mines. The first major Kenyan miniseries lands on Netflix.
Titled 'Country Queen', it tells the story of Akisa, a girl who left her

rural village to embrace a new life in Nairobi. When she is forced to return home to visit her ailing father, however, she discovers that a mining company has found gold near her family's land and threatens to demolish her home.

Netflix premiered the series on 15 July, and it was an immediate success, so much so that the global streaming company has beefed up the Kenya-Germany production of this project, which is not just fiction but addresses issues that characterise the African social fabric.
"Our country is in a critical transition politically, socially and economically," said Country Queen's executive producer Vincent Mbaya, "we are so used to seeing characters from other nations on our screens, so I really hope this series becomes a celebration of who we are, our culture, our languages and our personalities. Filmed in English, Swahili and a mix of other local languages, the series features a female protagonist and chronicles the lives of ordinary Kenyans struggling against corporate power and land grabbing. It explores urban and rural Kenya through characters entwined by love, betrayal and conflict.

Film and television productions in Kenya over the past decade have made great strides and have found much European funding. These are often co-productions that have social, educational purposes linked to entertainment, but which bring to the surface themes that are not at all easy to disseminate in Kenya. One only has to think of the multi-award-winning 'Rafiki', a film on homosexuality (still a big taboo in Kenya) that made it to the Cannes Film Festival but was censored in its home country. "We want to show, not just tell, our commitment to make Kenyan stories find a place on a global stage," said Nkateko Mabaso, Netflix's director of licensing in Africa. Netflix has stepped up its investment in African films and television series and earlier this year signed a memorandum of understanding with Kenya to develop the country's talent and production capacity.