"My complexion has taken me to places that I never imagined I could go"- Kezia Agyeman-Boafo
Kezia Agyeman-Boafo Mampomea is a Ghanaian commercial model/actress and mother of two. She is well-known in show business as Black Diamond. She was born in Kumasi, the capital city of the Ashanti Region.
Not too long ago, she went viral after her photoshoot series ”Roots” made it to several blogs. She has landed a well-deserved spot in today's spotlight series by being a hardworking all-round creative who stays true to herself while juggling motherhood.
Here's what Kezia tells us about her career as an all-round creative, her beauty secrets and being a young mother.
My full name is Kezia Agyeman-Boafo Mampomea popularly known as Black Diamond 💎, I'm a mother of two, a girl (10 years )and a boy (7 years), I'm an entrepreneur,I produce pomade with shea butter, I'm a model, an actress , a presenter and a poet.
The name "Black Diamond " was given to be me by a friend, I didn't actually like it at first but I sat down to make a good meaning out of it so "black" was basically for my complexion as a black lady and for the"Diamond 💎 ", where ever I go, I'm always being spotted or noticed as a diamond in the sand or wherever a diamond finds itself.
My beauty was inherited from my mum, to maintain such beauty, I always use the pomade I make from the shea butter called "natural You sheabutter "which basically brings out your natural beauty.
Let’s talk about your background a bit. Being a hustler by nature, due to your upbringing, would you say it shaped you into the woman you are, and how is that?
I come from a very poor background, my mum was a single parent who took care of myself and my elder brothers, she taught me to be strong as a woman and never give up, so breaking through as a black model was tough, most people preferred lighter skin to black skin, I was bounced so many times but didn't give up, still did my best, lo and behold, dark skin models got noticed. I never give up,I always do my best and watch the rest of the story to unfold in God's hands.
Modeling has always being a part of me since infancy, my career in the media wasn't an influence. As a young girl around 5 years, I always wanted to be a miss Ghana some day cos of the way they walked and looked, watching that on TV influenced me a lot.
What has been your toughest challenge as an actress and a model? How did you conquer it?
The toughest challenge as an actress was my complexion, they always preferred lighter skins to darker ones and the toughest challenge as a model was equally the complexion and height, they always wanted a taller person, I realized I was doing better than taller (5'9ft +) models when it comes to editorial poses, runways and what have you, I saw other models of my height (5'7,5'8 ft) doing well intentionally so I chose to keep doing me cos I know I will one day be recognized by His Grace
You are a model, a presenter, an actress and a young mom; How do you manage all these roles?
Combining motherhood and my career ain't an easy task at all, sometimes I have no option than to take them, sometimes I leave them at home when I know I won't take long for the job, sometimes too, I have to get a relative to come take care of them whiles I'm away, in all, it's not easy at all but I always think of their future and keep pushing because giving up will only bring nothing to the table.
I love everything I do especially the writing of poems and modeling. As an all-round creative,I would say my inspiration comes from my kids, they push me to do more
Will you say your skin complexion has influenced your career positively? How?
My skin has really influenced my career positively, it got to a time people booked me because of my complexion, my complexion has taken me to places that I never imagined I could go, articles were written about me and then again, I got noticed.
What is your advice to young girls like you who are just starting out in the creative and entertainment industry?
My advice to young girls who are just starting and wants to be a part of the entertainment industry is that, they should keep doing their best and never give up, they should also embrace themselves and never bleach, being yourself is always that matters
I'm working on building a better and solid brand for myself as a modern African girl. As a social advocate, I have given out free sanitary pads to my former basic school to help the girl child with good health and good hygiene and I have intentions of creating breast cancer awareness too so I'm thinking of going to my village or former schools to get their breast tested as well cos my mum was a breast cancer patient, she went through alot of pain which no woman deserves to suffer like that,earlier detection is better, I pray God gives me the strength,money and favor to achieve all that.