This guy is very unconventional, bold, has a history with porn addiction and collects sanitary towels / pads for young women who cannot afford them. Meet Dany V.
We first met each other a few years ago at the first anniversary celebrations of Rough Diamond Projects (who brought the likes of hip hop artists Flame, Da Truth, Sho Baraka & 116 Clique to Africa). At the event I was privileged to connect with some fine South African artists who’d be on the bill as part of the anniversary celebrations.
Most of the artists met each other here for the first time. The weird thing about this though, was the fact that not long after meeting each other, these guys were all openly and honestly sharing from their hearts. From past hurts and growing up without dads to being abused and struggling with sexuality; it was all there and it was very real.
I remember thinking: ‘how desperate do you have to be to share your innermost struggles with men you’re meeting for the first time in your life?’ This was clearly a cry from these men to have a platform where they could be vulnerable and still be real men.
In fact, it was out of this experience and these real life stories that Brothahood was conceptualized and eventually birthed.
Amongst the many stories, one that touched me deeply was that of Dany V. Dany is a Christian, a preacher, an artist and a public personality… but he was struggling with porn addiction. In the midst of an already intimate discussion, Dany’s openness and vulnerability simply took that discussion to another level where real men could lay there burdens down and pray for one another. How does this laying-down-burdens-and-praying-for-one-another business affect one’s manhood? In fact, how do we understand manhood?
Well, I recently caught up with Dany who gladly shared some of personal story with me on camera. In the first part of our conversation though, we talk about manhood. Check it out…
Dany V leads a rap crew called GOC with Raymond The Scribe. 
The motto of their movement is to encourage believers to stop ‘playing church’ and start being Christ to a lost world. Established as a rapper, Dany has three One gospel awards as well as a Crown gospel award with Dominion for their video “Kheth’e Yakho”. He is passionate about helping the many silent men in Church to open up about their sexual sins. He believes that until men can be real with each other and help one another to overcome the challenges, they are simply ‘playing church’.