Karen Lucas
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Karen 'Kaz' Lucas (born 13 September 1983) is is a Kenyan award-winning musician, sex educator and TED fellow[1]. She has a theatre background and has worked on Kenyan productions of classic plays such as Grease (female lead), and Eve Ensler's 1996 The Vagina Monologues as a director.[2] She also spearheaded a stage production of the popular book The Sex Lives of African Women by Ghanaian author Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah. She is also the founder of the pop-up market, The Nairobi Flea Market and co-owns Shakti Studios – a pole dancing studio in Nairobi. In 2012, Lucas launched Kenyan Woman, a YouTube docuseries, to share the lived experiences of Kenyan women and highlight how they navigate life’s challenges in an empowering and affirming way. [3]
Life and activism[edit]
Early life[edit]
Lucas was born in Nairobi and grew up in Garden Estate with her mother. She attended the prestigious Braeburn Academy, which was made possible by the fact that her mother worked as a caterer at the school. [4] From as early as 14, Lucas had her first public appearance in the presence of Grammy-Award winning rapper Coolio and at 15 had recorded her first single with legendary Kenyan producer Tedd Josiah[5] [4]. She was a contestant on the pan-African reality television show Project Fame, where she gained attention for her controversial antics.
Music and theatre[edit]
By the age of 19 Lucas had performed in various venues in Nairobi and garnered the attention of many acclaimed artist and producers in the industry.[6][5] She went on to pursue her interest in theatre among other creative ventures in media production and digital marketing.
Activism[edit]
As an openly queer person in a country where same-sex relationships are criminalized, Lucas has been an advocate for the Kenyan LGBTQI+ community and has seized several opportunities to speak out as an activist.[7] In the Repeal 162 Campaign that sought to decriminalize a set of archaic anti-homosexuality laws in the Kenyan penal code, Lucas used her profile to raise awareness on the issue.[8]
Work[edit]
Podcast[edit]
The Spread podcast aims to establish a safe space where people can learn about sexual and reproductive health and discover sex positivity. The podcast was launched in 2016 by Lucas and co-host Nini Wacera[9]. The Spread supplements the lack of comprehensive sex education, especially within Kenya, a cultural and political environment where speaking about sexuality is considered taboo and queer communities are heavily marginalized. Lucas has described the podcast as a space dedicated to decolonizing how Africans talk about sex and sexuality and the episodes feature a wide array of queer-affirming guests.[10] At its inception, local critics were vocal about whether a show of this kind was legal in Kenya and some were intent on shutting it down, claiming it contravened regulations guiding content production in Kenya.[11][12] Despite the controversy, the unorthodox nature of The Spread and Kaz’s own lifestyle has made the podcast very popular with local and global audiences.
Listenership[edit]
The Spread is available on all major podcasting platforms and currently boasts six seasons, 86 episodes and over 900,000 downloads. The bulk of its listenership hails from Kenya and the United States.[13]
Television
In the beginning of 2019, the podcast was syndicated for a TV segment on Germany’s flagship television station DWTV.[14] The two-and-a-half-minute segment was part of The 77%, a show that airs worldwide but has a focus on Africa’s youth.
Awards[edit]
In 2019, The Spread received an Utumishi Award from The Upinde Awards, an annual event that celebrates people, organisations, and institutions that have gone above and beyond in empowering, protecting, and advancing the rights of the LGBTQI+ people in Kenya.[15] The awards also honour innovative partnerships in service delivery and engagement within the LGBTQI+ rights movement.
| Podcast Guests |
|---|
| Wanjiru Koinange |
| Patricia Kihoro |
| Nadia Favre |
| Matthew Nakitare |
| Sofia Leteipan |
| Wacuka Thimba |
| Jet Setting Jasmine |
| King Noire |
| Bien-Aimé Bazara |
| Parish Blair |
| Taruri Gatere |
| Dr Martha Mumbi Karuga |
| Immah Reid |
| Tiffany Kagure Mugo |
| Taylor Sparks |
| Glamazon Tyomi |
| Marla Stewart |
| King Heff |
| Stephen Penta |
| Chiki Kuruka |
| Andy Duran |
| Dr Jessica O’Reilly |
| Kevin Allison |
| Abigail Arunga |
| Valentine Njoroge |
| Lola Jean |
| Julie Goko |
| Majic Dyke |
| Faiza (Hijabi Villain) |
| Sarah Makubana (Plus Wanga Princess) |
| Gigi Robinson |
| Melissa Mbugua |
| Catherine Holden |
| Kevin Mwachiro |
| Onyango Otieno |
| Maggie Gitu |
| Njeri Gachuhi |
| Silas Miami |
| Samira Ali |
Events[edit]
The Spread Live & The Spread Festival
The Spread also curates physical safe spaces where sex positive people can interact, shop and enjoy a live recording of the podcast. The first event was The Spread Live, held on the 30th of August 2017, and its success brought about the need for a larger event, The Spread Fest, an annual sex-positive festival that launched in 2019.[10] The festival fosters inspiration and wonder by sparking conversations about sexual diversity and sexuality. At the first edition, there were five panels, one workshop and 600 people in attendance, and adult filmmakers and sex workers Jet Setting Jasmine and King Noire of Royal Fetish Films were among the speakers.
Due to the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, a festival was not held until the following year in a virtual format. In 2022, The Spread plans to go bigger by partnering with the Ghana-based Adventures Live Festival.
References[edit]
- ↑ Kaz. "Kaz | Speaker | TED". www.ted.com. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ↑ Wagwau (Writer), Adam (2012-10-01). "Vag*na Monologues' Founder Boosts Kaz to Continue Her Documentary Work". Ghafla!. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ↑ Wagwau (Writer), Adam (2012-07-09). "Check Out the First Episode of Kaz's Documentary Series with Lorna Irungu". Ghafla!. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Kaz Karen Lucas Biography". 2022-08-17. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "About". Kaz Entertainment. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
- ↑ https://mpasho.co.ke/authors/maureen-waruinge. "10 things you need to know about Kaz Lucas". Mpasho. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ↑ "Being gay isn't illegal! Kaz Lucas calls out leaders encouraging homophobia in Kenya". Nairobi News. 2023-01-16. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ↑ "Kaz Lucas – Ake Arts & Book Festival". Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ↑ Nyambura, Medrine (2016-04-26). "Kaz & Nini Wacera have a new fantabulous podcast about sex". HapaKenya. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "'The Spread' Is the Sex-Positive Kenyan Podcast Offering a Safe Space for Women and LGBTQIA+ Issues - OkayAfrica". www.okayafrica.com. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ↑ galck.admin (2016-08-31). "Mixed reactions to KFCB boss' stance on branding Nini Wacera and Kaz' show 'Indecent'". Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ↑ "'Sex show' raises fresh queries as film board threatens to taken legal action". Nairobi News. 2016-08-29. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ↑ "The spread podcast". Listen Notes. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ↑ "The Spread: Why do we stigmatize postpartum depression? – DW – 12/14/2022". dw.com. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ↑ Itie, Harry (2019-12-17). "The Upinde Awards is a Celebration of Kenya's Vibrant LGBT Community". The Rustin Times. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
External links[edit]
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