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Can being naked be considered free speech? Hundreds strip off for nude photos

American artist, Spencer Tunick, once argued that being naked can be considered as free speech. On Monday, he pushed through with his position when around 500 people braved the Australian winter to pose for a series of controversial nude photographs on top of a Melbourne parking lot

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American artist, Spencer Tunick, once argued that being naked can be considered as free speech. On Monday, he pushed through with his position when around 500 people braved the Australian winter to pose for a series of controversial nude photographs on top of a Melbourne parking lot.

The photo shoot, organized by Tunick, held Monday morning in temperatures of approximately 48 degrees Fahrenheit. It comes just weeks after supermarket chain Woolworths reversed its decision to ban the event from its premises.

Woolworths had initially denied access to its branch in Melbourne’s Prahran neighborhood, citing inconvenience to weekend shoppers. But following public outcry and a high-profile petition, the supermarket last month agreed to host the shoot on condition that it was rescheduled for a quieter Monday timeslot.

A Woolworths spokesperson said that the retailer was “very supportive of the Provocaré Festival of the Arts and the Chapel Street community in which we operate,” attributing the U-turn to festival organizers’ flexibility regarding the timing of the shoot.

Speaking to CNN ahead of Monday’s photo shoot, Tunick praised the decision.

“It’s very rare for a corporation… to be part of something where the body is nude — it’s almost impossible,” he said in a phone interview. “So it’s very brave moment for something like this to happen, when (other) corporations are restricting the body and freedom.”

Read Also: Egypt builds world’s largest museum

Tunick has made his name coordinating more than 120 large-scale nude photos in public spaces around the world, from Munich to Mexico City. The latter stunt attracted a reported 18,000 naked participants. The artist said that being naked in public can “be considered free speech.”

“People want a sense of freedom when it comes to their bodies and public space — that governments … and corporations don’t own your body,” he added.

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Culture

Koffi Olomide’s Kenyan show suffers setback over 2016 debt

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A highly anticipated concert that was to feature Congolese Lingala maestro Le Grand Mopao, Koffi Olomide, in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday has been thrown into disarray after Kenyan show promoters, Jules Nsana and Noah Auma Muga of Nsana Production, demanded to be paid compensation for a 2016 show that ended in chaos and refund of debt of $65,000 they had allegedly incurred.

In the letter of demand through their lawyer, Thiong’o Gachaga of Githumbi & Achoki Advocates firm, Nsana Production say they are seeking a refund of $50,032 and an additional Sh1,410,000, along with interest at the current rate from the date of the performance to full payment, citing a breach of contract by the 67-year-old rumba star for a March 2016 concert.

The letter stated that the 2016 show ended in chaos when Olomide was deported from Kenya for allegedly assaulting one of his female dancers after footage of the assault at Nairobi’s international airport was posted online, sparking outrage on social media.

But Olomide has assured his fans that the peace concert will go on despite threats from the show promoters.

Olomide, who spoke through his lawyers, termed the debt allegations as frivolous and without merit.

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Ghanaian actor Don Little arrested for knocking down motorcyclist

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Dimunitive Ghanaian actor, Stephen Atangah, popularly known as Don Little, was reportedly arrested by the police in Accra on Friday after he allegedly knocked down a motorcyclist.

Media reports in the West African country said the actor knocked down the rider with his car while driving in the Kasoa Area A, with videos showing him protesting against his incarceration while in police custody.

According to a report by an online platform, the actor was transporting a friend to the hospital when the incident happened.

“According to Don Little his friend called him that one of their friends wanted to take his life so he should intervene,” the platform said.

“On the way to the hospital, he met some motor riders so he blew the horn for them to give him way but they refused.

“In a bid to manoeuvre, he knocked down one of the motor riders with his mirror.

“Unfortunately, there was an officer at the scene. The officer claimed that Don Little slapped him twice but the actor denied the claims. He was taken to the Kasoa police station”, it added.

The video also showed Don Little behind bars at the police station and interacting with some of the officers.

“He was lamenting why he had been arrested and the person he was involved in an accident had been left to go home,” the online platform narrated further.

“Some of the police officers were also heard wondering why a person with the stature of Don Little would be allowed to drive in Ghana.”

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