Book Naked Africa

About our book Naked Africa ...

Immerse in the unbelievable world of native nakedness in the middle of jungles and deserts of the whole Africa. Let’s go with us to see the places where there have not been any whites so far, and you will discover tribes living unreal lives. You will become a part of unique travel of hiking and hitchhiking across the whole black continent, a part of unexpected events which we experienced in native villages somewhere in the forest. Give in to unique pictures of the most interesting native tribes of Africa. ...

Havelka O., Lorencová M.:

Naked Africa (Mladá Fronta, Praha 2006)

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The book of Naked Africa describes our two year travel around the whole Africa which was unique in its scope and style. It describes the journey using hiking and hitchhiking across 27 African countries and other several countries of Asia and Europe which we visited during this travel.

The book lays stress especially on wild native tribes of the whole black continent, not only on their exotic appearance but on their religion, culture and character as well. 98 pages of text describe the most important events which we experienced with the wild tribes. Sometimes our lives were at stake; sometimes the meetings were very pleasant.

The backbone of the book is formed by 128 pages of pictures predominantly of naked native people of the whole continent.

Naked Africa was published at the end of 2006 at the publishers of Mladá Fronta

The Exhibition of Naked Africa, which traveled around the Czech Republic for three years, is also closely connected with the book.

You can try the atmosphere of the book in the following extracts:

We are lowering ourselves through secret hallways to the unknown then. We are getting into one of the churches which are completely hewed in the plot of the crucifix. It is an unbelievable construction. The interior scares us. White knights in flashing harness using their lances are struggling with devils jumping out of the hell. The pictures are illuminated with reflections of light of precious stones located in huge majestic crucifixes decorating walls and corners. The painted canvases bear similar tidings as the paintings do. When we see the black holy man with raven curls and at the same time we think about the native men from the surrounding forests, we cannot get rid of a strange impression that they are very similar to the inhabitants of the hell of the eight hundred year old paintings.

Our hearts are full of sense that this place is cursed, and perhaps it should never have stood here either.

From the chapter The Deep Lalibela

Hum .... hum .... hum .... hum .... hum is a thunderous rhythmical clamor ringing out of the Maasai throats and one of them is starting jumping rhythmically.

He is jumping higher and higher and the jumps are really higher than we would expect. Hum ...... hum ...... hum ..... hum is louder and louder with longer and longer breaks because the jumps are higher and higher.

The Maasai man is jumping so high that it is unbelievable, but we can see it with our own eyes.

There is another Maasai man starting jumping and after a while he suggests that I should add as well. Being refreshed with their tobacco I am taking off my body out of the white sand in the rhythm of jumps, which they are still making higher and higher. Their euphoria is increasing and the jumps are unbelievably high, but they are harmonious and gentle as if they did not use their muscles.

I seem to be nearly flying. What keeps me in air is an indescribable energy which the Maasai are creating using their rhythmical singing. Hum ....... hum ...... sounds again and again and the young men are jumping about half a meter above me. It is unbelievable. Their gentle and perfect jumps are being mirrored in the turquoise water of the ocean and their black cues seem to kiss the azure skies.

We are going on jumping and we do not perceive our bodies, only our spirit untied from the clod is floating above the beach and meditating using the Maasai mantra.

From the chapter The Maasai Levitation on Zanzibar

The shaman of this place caught sight of us for a moment and it was clear that was the end of our visit. It was a hateful waspish sight and an indescribable inner power which scorched us and which made us run far away. If anybody should not believe in the African voodoo, he should come and see this man and form his own objective opinion. It is not a human being but the fiend himself. If this man does not live mostly in the hell, so the reason is that they would be dreaded him. The hell itself spit fiery spittle towards us and put us to flight.