Diamond Shafooli Digs Deep

WITH just six episodes out on her YouTube channel, long-time socialite and businesswoman Monica ‘Diamond’ Shafooli is diving into some deep topics that are well worth a watch if you want to peel back a few layers of what really goes on behind closed doors in Namibia.

Covering topics like child abuse, homosexuality, emigrating from Namibia and other struggles the average person goes through, ‘Digging Deep Unsencored’ is an eye-opening talk show that will keep you glued to your screen and clutching your pearls at every corner.

When we tell you that Shafooli is not afraid to get into the nitty gritty of each topic she covers, we mean it.

Through these interviews she asks the hard questions, says what’s on her mind, and leads her guests to share more than you think is possible.

Her standout episode is an hour and a half long sit-down chat with her long-time friend, with whom she moved out of Namibia to the United Kingdom in the early 2000s.

The two of them highlight the struggles they encountered, and warn others who want to chase that life that it may not always be as easy and glamorous as it seems.

In another episode, she probes a guest on his sexuality and his life.

The discussion is raw, open and sometimes shocking, but it provides an honest glimpse into what growing up gay, gender fluid or transgender is really like at small Namibian towns.

Her guest is a 20-year-old who unashamedly recounts some of his early sexual experiences that led to him on a journey to self-discovery.

A third significant talk she has is with herself.

She starts off noting that she does not have a guest because she wants to speak openly about sexual abuse that she encountered personally as a child.

She is unafraid to name her perpetrator, share the tactics abusers use to harm and silence children and warn families about how easy it is for exploitation to go unchecked.

Shafooli calls her show a “safe space” where all are welcome and none should be judged, and she repeatedly reminds viewers that “no one is perfect”.

What’s nice about it is how authentic she comes off on camera and how well she navigates her curiosity and desire to engage.

There’s a deep need for these conversations, especially from someone who isn’t overly conservative or preachy. She doesn’t approach these topics from a position of authority or as someone who knows better than everyone else.

It seems Shafooli is just a student of the universe, open and willing to understand the world around her and to investigate people’s motives and actions.

Shafooli also strongly advocates teaching her audience as she goes along.

The lessons from the ongoing series become clearer the more you watch.

Whether it’s diving into the true reality of moving abroad from a third-world country and having to work in factories and fields, warning women about the perils of dangerous men, speaking candidly about leaving her abusive marriage or encouraging people to use protection in their sexual relationships, this series gives an unfiltered glimpse of the realities of life.

It gives us a different side to this media darling and sister to musician King Tee Dee.

Her candour and humility give the series the touch it needs to make it easy to sit down and listen to her chat for about an hour at a time.

If you are keen on seeing this for yourself, hop onto YouTube, brace yourself and dive right in.

• Anne Hambuda is a poet, writer and commentator. Follow her online or email her annehambuda@gmail.com for more.

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