Africans & Nudity

The colonialists came and so did the missionaries. The role of the missionaries was to spread the good cheer and the gospel and shun us from our ‘primitive’ and ungodly ways. We were heathens, our loin cloths and head gear were inappropriate, women running bare-chested and children playing in the nude or in revealing loin cloths.

(Right: Zulu women)

Fast forward to the 21st century, loin cloths are not made from hide or other animal skins, it's made from cotton and flashed on runways and bought for exorbitant prices.

There are nude beaches in various tourist destinations, check the net; you’ll be amazed at how many. You might find them referred to as naturist, clothing-optional or free beaches. Places where you can vacation without being subjected to the mundane obligation of covering your 'naturale' so to speak.

(Center: Beninois girl in cultural dress)
The tale of Africa’s cultural appreciation for the minimal before colonization is similar to the biblical tale of Adam and Eve, before they ate the apple from the tree of knowledge, and became aware of their nudity. The apple we received was colonization.

Looking at things from that perspective, would I gracefully walk on the streets topless in protest of colonisation?No, but look around you, or look at the way you are dressed today. The irony ; women walking around in tank tops with thin straps showing off their well endowed cleavage some to the point of toppling out of their tops. Men with shirts open, showing off their toned chests. So nudity does exist in variations, we just lie to ourselves that we are clothed.

The difference; bare minimum coverage (it doesn’t qualify to be called clothing) is a fashion statement in the 21st century. In the 17th century it was a way of life - I call that ingenious change of perception; colonization of the mind!

It’s fascinating there are even sites giving people tips on how to practice nudity in the home. If a generation was closer to hell, it would be this one. When you look at communities in this continent that hold their culture dear, however much their cultural dress is limiting, there's always a cover of sorts, like beads. Royalty were always adorned in rich and beautiful cloth. Look at the kente cloth from Ghana among the Ashanti, the masks and elaborate garments of the Bobo of Burkina Faso and even the Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania.

The question of nudity is still a baffling one, one thing I always ask myself is what if we were never colonized would we have changed to what we are today? Or remained beautifuy bare and content? That’s for us all to figure out but in the mean time, keep your ‘goods’ tucked in and build your region, they need your brain, not the unnecessary distractions of your ‘goods’.

(Left: Ashanti royalty)