Berry Heart explains �nude� cover photo

Sharon Mathala | Thursday June 18, 2015 10:45

 

The charismatic artist shocked her followers after posting an image of  her upcoming single CD sleeve, showing her nude on Tuesday.  The popular poet has featured ATI and Socca Moruakgomo in the song.

In the picture, Berry Heart is completely naked and squatting down with her arms tied behind her back. It has since sparked outrage on social media with fans divided in opinion. While some view the picture as too explicit, some find it attractive.

Berry Heart has defended the cover photo saying it is not nudity.  She argues that she was only being artistic and that “in art there is no right or wrong”, and that individuals interpret art differently.

“Some say it is nudity, some say it is a little bit too much, whilst others appreciate it. I am totally naked in the picture, but I tried to hide the explicit parts, it is more of my bare back showing. It is art,” she said.

Berry Heart, whose rise to fame was mainly triggered by her somewhat controversial poem in which she expresses her undying love for President Ian Khama, also said that the picture is merely portraying the situation of women in a patriarchal society like Botswana.

She said: “Whether you are wearing clothes somebody touches and squeezes your bum without consent.

Whether you are wearing clothes you get raped, in the eyes of a patriarchal society a woman’s clothes do not matter.  They always see her as a sexual object. A woman is trapped as the picture is saying”.

The poet, however, said that the pose was not her initial idea. She said that the idea just came about during the shoot.

“The rope is also very metaphorical. Back in the day they would use the rope to tie women or even beat them. The idea was to bring it closer to what I wanted to portray as an artist.  It was to signify women abuse that has been and is still happening in our society,” she explained, adding that she is trying to challenge the local societal mindset on what they think a woman should do.

“I realised that clothes do not matter according to the eyes of a patriarchal society.  There is no difference whether you put on clothes or not, I have realised decency is an ambiguous word, it depends on what you believe to be decent,” she said.

Asked what she feels about those that are against the picture and feel she is an attention seeker, Berry Heart said: “It is very unfortunate.  I am an artist obviously whatever I do is going to be scrutinised through a magnifying glass.  People should really try to understand me.  What drives my art and the way I am trying to communicate.  They are not wrong.  I just want them to learn about me and the person that I am”.

Berry Heart will be dropping her single Berry Heart For Dinner Or Nothing on 30 July.