-
A chat with Shifani Reffai and a ‘PSA for Sri Lankan boys’
By Dimithri Wijesinghe
This week, we reached out to Shifani Reffai, the Co-Founder of WhiteNoise Media, Co-Creator of Shhh – The Talkshow, musician, content creator, and the creator and protagonist of the hilarious IGTV video “PSA for Sri Lankan boys” that is currently gaining fast traction online.
Shifani is a creative mind who has put her skills to the best possible use, creating socially conscious content that lends itself to otherwise difficult conversations we as Sri Lankans would rather avoid.
The most recent example being the aforementioned video created by her, addressing harassment faced by women – an age-old 
story to which, sadly, nearly every woman in the island can relate on a spiritual level. While it’s certainly nothing new, Shifani’s comedic video felt like a fresh take on the narrative, and she spoke about the inciting incident which inspired her to put the video together.
She shared how the pandemic and the resulting lockdown made it so that even since the curfew was lifted, there has not been a lot of movement in terms of going out. However, as things are starting to settle down after what felt like forever, she stepped out of her house and was waiting for her Uber on Galle Road in the Dehiwala Junction. She said that “I was suddenly rudely reminded that I was in Dehiwala, and I am a girl” as someone who seemed to be a middle-aged man appeared in a Bajaj bike and decided to “talk at her” as some Lankan men do.
She shared that she is unsure of why the man approached her, stating that it could’ve been a multitude of things or none at all, and that the video was really just something that came about spontaneously as a result of this incident – this inescapable reality women face every day.
Shifani shared that it is something she has spoken about previously as well about the fact that “women are slowly elbowed out of spaces”. She said that if she herself was given an alternative, she would choose not to frequent these public spaces even though it is her right as a citizen to stand on the pavement and to take the bus. Yet, women are made to feel increasingly out of place in these spaces.
She shared that she has found IG to be a very effective medium, especially during the pandemic where she has been able to express herself in a spontaneous and casual setting and have a wider reach. Therefore, while she has a YouTube channel, she has opted to post on IG more regularly due to its casual setting.
She also spoke of the use of comedy in creating socially conscious content, especially content that pertains to women, adding that she has felt as though there is a gap in the sphere for humorous content that is Sri Lankan and is for Lankan women. She said the reason why she creates comedic content is because she is often inspired by comedic creators and that there is a lot in our culture that we can talk about, reflect upon, and really laugh about.
Speaking of her love for humour, we must also talk about her band together with her partner Riyal Riffai called “Jaadiyata Moodiya”, with Shifani on vocals and Riyal on bass – a band created by the duo to play original music, lyrics that are cynical and reflective, and subject matter that is essentially social commentary on things nearly all Sri Lankans can relate to in one way or the other.
About the band, Shifani shared that hopefully by the end of this year or early next year, they will have some of their original tracks studio-recorded so that they will be available online soon.
Since we were talking to one of the Co-Creators of the famous YouTube talk show “Shhh – The Talkshow”, we asked Shifani about her involvement in the project and how she got started, to which she said that much like the IG commentary videos, it is about talking about things that we do not talk about. She said that these are topics many Sri Lankans are waiting eagerly for someone to discuss but as is their nature, they will wait for someone else to take the lead. Since its launch, the talkshow has opened up a lot of healthy conversation, she said, sharing an endearing example where a viewer had come out to their family by sharing their episode on “unconventional relationships” which covered LGBTIQ topics in Sri Lanka.
A filmmaker and photographer by profession, Shifani carries out her work through WhiteNoise Media which she Co-Founded, where they create for brands, and she said that as she tries to do with her work, she makes an effort to make a difference through the company, sharing that she favours female entrepreneurs; when she meets people who are up-and-comers/start-ups, they like to work together with them, give them concessions, collaborate, and better those who are otherwise struggling to come up.
She said that with her work, they always try to question whether it is ethical and focus on how their communications can be kinder and more holistic. Also speaking about the photo series she did with Lankan women celebrating brown skinned-women of all shades and sizes, she shared these women’s stories along the way to represent what it really is like to be a Sri Lankan woman – often dark-skinned and varied in body shape and not so much like the skinny fair-skinned models we prioritise on billboards.
Shifani added that “we can humanise our models, giving them and therefore our work more personality”, which is why she chose to highlight the work of the women who modelled for her for the series, adding that it is important to represent the way women really look because as it is now, when a Lankan woman looks up at an advertisement, she sees a perceived “perfect” version of a woman she can never simply be because her genetics dictate that she will be dark-skinned and her body is built a certain away.
A person of many talents, Shifani is showing no signs of slowing down and upon all of the many things she is currently involved in, you can also expect to see her next video, which will be about Muslim aunties, on her IGTV.
Shifani Reffai on social media
Personal/comic content: @dingiribanda
Work/fashion photography content: @shifanireffai
WhiteNoise Media: @whitenoisemedialk