12 dezembro 2002

CULTURAS IN VITRO
Mystery Enshrouds Kola Boof, Writer and Internet Persona Who is Kola Boof?
She might be, as she claims, the object of a fatwa ordering her death because of her vehement criticism of the Muslim government in her native Sudan. Or she might be, as some have suggested, an author trying to bring attention to her books by fabricating a provocative public persona, using the specter of fatwa as a marketing ploy.
Either way, the Kola Boof story demonstrates how flashpoints are reached in cyberspace, the new forum for underground literature and politics, where fact and myth become indistinguishable and publicity campaigns become a kind of performance art. Without the imprimatur of a major publisher or a mainstream review or a public appearance, she has managed to instigate anger and discussion about her work.