Kola Boof - A Sensuous Feminist Or A Fearless Womanist?

I remember reading an old article on Kola Boof in 2011. It was an intriguing one about an equally intriguing woman who claimed to have been the lover of the now late Osama Bin Laden. Whether it was deliberate or not, the article painted her as fearless and brash at the same time. After that article, I decided to read more more on Kola. Thanks to Google, there were countless sources to draw impressions about the Sudanese-Egyptian poet and novelist from. I learned she was controversial, intelligent and very opinionated. It was long before those claims were verified. I came across her views on the social networking site - Twitter, albeit in very uncensored language. This is one of them -

"Men should be proud to sleep with LOTS of women....endless women. But a Woman can't enjoy her rackings?"

"What these women are really saying is: "Kola, how dare you buck the status quo...how dare you challenge the social convention." 

June 13 2012 in response to people questioning her lack of decorum.

(I apologize to those followers of this blog who are not used to profane language.)

I am not very judgemental about people's lifestyles, but still I struggled to get used to the fact that this was the same award winning novelist and poet I read about a few days before......

......."In 2007, Kola Boof won her first major writing award from of all places, Stockholm, Sweden, the 2007 Woman to Woman Swedish Writer's Pen for Boof's Non-fiction article "I Am My Own Daughter" in OTTAR MAGAGINE, and headlined a triumphant reading at the prestigious Schomburg Center in N.Y. Noted PRINCETON critic Kam Williams chose Ms. Boof's autobiographyDiary of a Lost Girl as the 2006 BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR, and in 2008, officials of the South Sudanese government appointed Kola Boof National Chairwoman of the United States Branch of the SSPP Peace Organization, serving under President Francis Bok and Commanders in Sudan--BF Bankie and Deng Ajak..........

After reading her all about her accomplishments and praises, it was hard to keep up with her. I saw the Kola Boof on Twitter as a different person from the one described by renowned N.Y. University Professor and writer Derrick Bell as "a brilliantly gifted writer". Maybe it was my just my assumption or maybe I was finding it hard to understand how a writer would live her life outside society's prescribed code and not care. Almost every writer I have been inspired by or have met were regarded as role models and were image conscious. I am image conscious. I sat looking at this woman on Twitter and thinking, "wow!"

For Kola, there is no religion or culture strong enough to hold her opinions back. She has no problem standing out from the average black woman. She sees herself as a "womanist, (Alice Walker's now famous term that signifies a sensuous kind of black feminism)" and is not shy to be open about her her life. In her own words....."I am the LIVING WOMAN...not a strong black woman."

Not everyone will agree with her methods, but one thing you can't take from Kola is her boldness and ability to speak her mind. Currently embroiled in a bitter twitter war, with Oscar winning actor from Benin, West Africa and his wife, former model, and fashion entrepreneur Kimora Lee, Kola Boof is not mincing words about an alleged affair with the actor, and her Twitter timeline is not for the faint hearted. 

For all those of you who have had the opportunity to read about Kola Boof, I would like to know what your opinions are from this very intriguing and controversial figure. Is this award winning author with seven books published in eight countries, a sensuous feminist as seen in her writings and heard from her interviews, or is she a fearless womanist simply rebelling against the typical patriarchal society? Help me here somebody.

Love,

Umari