Imagine living your entire life building your name and career as an everyday American citizen before learning you were first-class royalty in a foreign country. For artist and model Stunna Dior, this is reality and not just hypothetical.
Recently, Dior stopped by rolling out to break down what all of her recent discovery consists of.
You’re a princess in Ghana?
Yes. North Ghana.
How did you figure that out, and what was your reaction?
Shout out to all the people who were around me that knew for a minute. It’s not that I just found out, my mom just got her title almost three years ago now. So she got in-skinned as the Queen Chief, queen mother of Tamale, which is in Northern Ghana, Ghana over the Dagbon kingdom.
I’m an only child, so it was a big deal for them to have to meet me, but then COVID happened, so traveling was locked down. I was in the middle of my career, and it was going so well that I was like, “Mom, I’m not taking a break to come to Africa right now immediately.” I thought, “Everything we’re going to do is going to be great as long as I stay focused on what I’m doing.” I feel like a lot of people, if they were in my position and got a call from their parents, they would have immediately abandoned everything. Like, “I’m going to Africa right now to live,” but for me, I was like, “Shoot. I’ve already put eight years into this career. I’ve already sacrificed so many things that it doesn’t make any sense for me to now abandon my mission and go to a new mission.” I just want to finish what I started.
For the two years, my immediate circle knew, but we didn’t go telling everybody because I’m so outside that some people when they find out they’re like, “Oh, should we throw rose petals? Should we bow and stuff?”
In Africa, that’s the tradition. All of those things definitely do happen when I go home and people greet me. There are so many different intricacies with people even speaking directly to me, or even when it comes down to me eating. When I’m in Africa, people aren’t even allowed to eat in the same room as me. I have to be separated.
@therealstunnadior Northern Ghana To The world : POV as a Princess/Artist 👸🏾🎶🎤 Oct 14th performing live at sports stadium 📰 #gadamnation #gadam #northernghana #tamale #damba #smockchallange #oct14 #fancygadam
What is your mother’s title?
My mother is Queen Zosimili Naa. Her name is Kennedy S. Johnson.
Congratulations. Why do Black Americans need to visit Africa?
It’s just an experience you have to have, especially if you’ve been to all of these other countries that are from other ethnicities. You have to go and see the source. That’s how I feel. Because when you’re there, the weather, the sun shines, the food is fresh, and empowerment within. Everyone has a business of their own. There are all of these street vendors. Everyone’s an entrepreneur, and that’s how I look at it.
@therealstunnadior Living 2 dreams at once . #RoyalTingz #damba #dagbongtiktok #dagombatiktok #ghana #northghana
Go and see all the Black entrepreneurs. Everybody starts and makes moves from the ground up, and then you see multimillionaires in Phantoms and Rolls Royce. There are a lot of beautiful places there, too, that they really just don’t show you, [like] the everyday things like restaurants and different beach clubs. It’s so beautiful.
@therealstunnadior Thank you @FANCY GADAM OFFICIAL 👑 for showing me much support! Gadam Nation to the World 🇬🇭🌎👑 #GadamNation #stunnadior #northernghana #fancygadam #competetion #gadamnationarmy #northghana
It’s an experience you have to have when you go and see all advertisements with only Black people on them. It’s the little things for me.
