Founded in 2012, the Nairobi-based Nest Collective is a multidisciplinary arts group working across film, music, fashion, visual arts, and literature. Their acclaimed queer anthology film Stories of Our Lives (2014) has been screened in more than 90 countries and received numerous awards. Stories of Our Lives (2014) is a powerful film made up of five short vignettes drawn from real accounts within Kenya’s queer community. Developed by the Nest Collective through an extensive oral history project, the film captures intimate, everyday experiences of love, identity, and resilience, situating them within a broader socio-political context in East Africa during a period of heightened debate around anti-homosexuality laws. Though banned in Kenya for allegedly promoting “obscenity” and homosexuality, the film gained significant international recognition, winning the collective the Berlinale Teddy Jury Prize.
In addition to their artistic practice, the collective has founded influential platforms such as HEVA (2013), Africa’s first creative business fund dedicated to supporting East African cultural entrepreneurs, and Strictly Silk (2018), a dance party and multimedia space that centres joy, safety and community for women and non-binary people of all ages, origins and religions. Coming from East Africa, their work draws primarily on African urban and contemporary experiences as a foundation for exploring their histories and imagining possible futures, while remaining attentive to globally interconnected issues. In 2022, the collective was recognized in Monopol Magazine’s annual list of 100 leading contemporary cultural practitioners.
Zeitz MOCAA invites you to experience the Nest Collective’s work and Pan-Africa cinema with the screening of Stories of Our Lives on Friday, 24 April 2026.
Location
The Labia Theatre
Date & Time
24 April 2026 | 5 pm – 7 pm
Entry
Non-members pay R30 per person
Zeitz MOCAA Members enter for free.
Not yet a member? Reach out to our friendly team at the front desk or email membership@zeitzmocaa.museum to explore Zeitz MOCAA Membership.
Image credit: Image still from Stories of Our Lives (2014). Courtesy of the artist and Big World Cinema.