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NAKED
AT THE FEAST
Ms. Boof, however, insists that publicity and vanity have nothing to do with it. She claims that it has everything to do with her belief in women starting their own religion, going back to the early African goddess principles of females being considered clean, their bodies' holy temples which bring life into the world. Their "monthlies" celebrated and their breasts regarded as religious ornaments representing the "circle of life." Says Kola Boof, "I am topless to honor my mothers and grandmothers, my own African womenfolk who were always bare breasted in the sun and who gave birth to this whole world. They created and sustained the natural world. They were naked not
because they were backwards and didn't know any better…but because
they had done nothing wrong. They were not dirty and soiled by man's
greed and violence. They were naked because it pleases God…and
I do believe that it's an abomination against God for any woman's
breasts to be covered. So I have it written in my book contracts that
I must appear topless on the back covers of my books. I also do it
because it's not Christian and it's not Islamic. I truly want to plant
a seed in favor of women creating their own institution of religion,
because that's all religions are-institutions." KOLA BOOF'S RELIGION: "I believe in the sky," says Kola Boof. "My Mahdi Pappuh taught me that we came from the Sky and landed in the water. I believe in God. I believe in one God. I believe that the purpose in life is that your deeds outlive you. Love is for everyone. As human beings, we owe it to one another to give love without questioning why and to breed sensitivity, which is the highest form of intelligence. And sometimes, part of loving someone…is kicking their ass. That's the human truth. People are bullies and love requires confrontation as well as understanding and patience."
The Bible: "I love reading the Holy Bible. I read it often, because it brings me joy and comfort, it is the ultimate book of wisdom…but I also know the history of the Bible and how African Hebrew men came to write it…the stories of the Bible are all stolen from the folklore, myths and legends of the ancient African people. Our own children stole our stories and took them to a foreign land and created a new religion, Christianity…and then White men made another version of that religion. That's what has happened.
Religion: "I have made it clear that women need tostart their own religion…the ones created by men do not heal the world. They don't teach us to love without equating physical beauty, wealth and might with goodness, which has been the downfall of humankind. Truly, there are two things that cannot be seen with the naked eye-beautyand love. So we need a woman's religion to emerge. We need a world in which women can once bare their breasts and be regarded as sacred vessels that replenish human life and nurture the love and goodness within all of us. Religion should heal people and give them shelter…all people, equally and unconditionally."
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Naked Feast page prepared by Yi Nee Ling |
