From L to R, Mzbel, Sefa and KiDi
Being famous isn’t all rainbows and butterflies as recently, more celebrities have spoken out about their personal experiences with sexual assault, particularly from fans, and some obsessed individuals.
The harassment these celebrities have experienced has evolved from online bullying and objectification to alarming physical encounters, with some fans even crossing the line into sexual abuse in public settings.
It is true that these celebrities exude sensuality, which draws fans to them.
However, some of these ‘obsessed fans’ often fail to recognise that the wild personalities these celebrities often display on stage and on social media are typically part of ‘show business’ and do not necessarily reflect their true selves.
Several Ghanaian celebrities both male and female who have suffered this fate have bravely shared their experiences, describing them as one of their darkest moments.
Let’s take a look at their stories below:
Mzbel has frequently spoken out about her experiences with sexual abuse throughout her career. In October 2005, the singer faced sexual harassment from KNUST students during a live performance.
Sharing a vivid information on what ensued on that fateful day, she recounted how these students inserted their fingers into her private part, and also indiscriminately fondled her breast.
She said she sustained bruises on her face and body, causing her excruciating pains.
This case was taken to court, but a subsequent report from a student fact-finding committee raised questions about her claims.
The committee said Mzbel and her dancers had engaged in lewd behaviour on stage that may have provoked the students’ misconduct.
A year later, Mzbel revealed another traumatic event where she was again robbed by armed robbers who broke into her home.
Mzbel said she was rapped twice by armed robbers on the night in the presence of her son, John.
Sefa
Sefa also shared a distressing experience during her performance in Kasoa, where she was assaulted after leaving the stage.
The singer said although she has experienced verbal abuse from netizens on social media a number of times, the assault in Kasoa left her terrified and shaken.
Sharing a vivid picture of the incident, she said in her case, both men and women touched her breasts and private parts.
“Yes, I have been harassed sexually,” she stated. “After performing at a show in Kasoa and i left the stage, I felt hands all over me…my breasts, my private parts…like men and women touching me. It was so frustrating … That was where I really felt it,” she stated in a recent interview with Accra FM’s Nana Romeo.
While sexual abuse in the showbiz industry has predominantly affected women, men have also become victims.
Singer, KiDi, also shared his experience from an obsessed female fan.
In May 2022, during an interview with AJ Sarpong, the Ghanaian singer recounted an incident at a birthday party hosted by popular photographers, ‘Twins Dnt Beg’, where the assault took place.
“I went to a birthday party, I wasn’t planning to perform but there are my brothers so I did a couple of things so when I got down, this girl approached me and said she wanna take a picture with me.”
“Obviously she wasn’t from here (Ghanaian), I was like cool ’cause I am a nice guy. When she was crossing to the side she stood in front of me. She was taller than me, I was looking at her and she just grabbed my manhood. After she laughed and said she’d heard things about me,” KiDi narrated.
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