DIANA BOULI: A WARM-HEARTED SOUL

Diana Hyllarie Bouli Essounga, rather still known by many as “Diana Bouli”, is a Cameroonian actress, influencer and photo model born on November 16^th, 1997 in Yaoundé Cameroon. She is permanently based in Ivory Coast. She is one of the most followed Cameroonian Tiktoker with more than 3.1 million followers and more than 65 million likes as reports show from February 2023. Due to her videos which are rich in originality, she has become one of the new sensations on Social networks, especially through her numerous followers with each of her releases. Regarding her education, she attended Primary and Secondary school in her hometown, before pursuing higher studies at the University of Yaoundé 1 and in 2018, she earned a degree in Marketing and Communication.

A while after she completed her studies, she began working as a Professional model and that is where her career life began. She modelled at several fashion shows in Cameroon. By the year 2019, she did a debut in her career as an actress. Her first movie was “Before the Sunrise”, directed by Akin Motso. In this movie, she played the role of a young lady called “Hannah” who struggles to find her place in the society. By 2021, she featured in another movie entitled “La Femme de mon Mari” a movie directed by Nathalie Lumbroso. In this movie, she played the role of “Alicia” a young lady who fights to save her marriage.

Diana’s first appearance in Cameroonian showbiz was in 2019 and it slowly grew due to her unique contents on tiktok. More of her content, specialises in parodic covers of old African musical hits, most especially those from the 80s. In majority of her videos, she did cover clips of legendary musicians like Monique Séka, Aicha Koné, Pepe Kalle, Ndedi Eyango, Grace Decca, Eboa Lotin and many other artists. Her vintage content and creativity of these artists in the 80s brought lots of praise and recognition to her videos. It also brought lots of nostalgia to the viewers who recalled the old days. Her creativity was recognised and applauded even by Brenda Biya (President’s daughter) and other celebrities. She credits and acknowledges her grandmother as her source of inspiration to be the reason why she can easily channel into the 80s energy in her videos. During an interview, she was asked on how she creates her dresses and her unique hairstyles and she says she does everything on her own and by herself. She has used her influence to promote various products and services and has collaborated with many local and international brands including; Niki Heat, So Good Jewellery, Yves Saint Laurent and others.

The stunning Tiktok star has proven victory in several awards for her achievements in the fashion and entertainment industry. In 2019, she won the Model of the Year award at the Cameroon Fashion Awards. Also, at the Cameroon Movie Awards in 2020, she was named Best Supporting Actress.

Aside her career in acting, influencing, and modelling, she also is a philanthropist as she uses her social media platforms to promote social causes such as education, mental health, and fight against violence on women. She has also worked with local organizations to help children and women in need, especially those who are affected by poverty and illness.

Despite her successful career, Diana has faced several controversies especially within 2023. In February 2023, she had announced on her tiktok page that she was leaving Cameroon for good and her fans did not really take it well and when asked why, she explained that her decision was due to the repeated harassment and criticism on social media about her taking money to stay quiet on the murder or journalist Martinez Zogo. The allegations got her on a bad nerve and she had to leave due to the discomfort they gave her. In May 2023 still, a video went round the internet of her being in the bathroom naked as a new-born. This video went so viral that the comments which popped up were not complimentary. There other struggles with which she has fought with but she keeps getting stronger.

Diana Bouli is a very remarkable personality who has gained her popularity due to honest hard work, dedication and determination. She got successful but still tried to fight for those around her and also get them comfortable as possible. Although  the controversies, she still remains a role model to many young Cameroonians and to her tiktok fans.

Delia Nyadi