The world is being awakened to the significance and seriousness of mental health and the role it plays in the wellbeing of individuals. There has been a stigma surrounding mental health for such a long time that people have been suffering in silence afraid to face the condemnation from our societies. In recent years, a movement advocating for mental health has been echoing from all parts of the world. Educating and enlightening our societies on the illnesses that fall under mental health and how best to help those suffering from them.
We met up with Ludo Freshe, a poet, writer, singer/rapper and generally an all-round creative, hailing from Zambia to shed some light on her journey with mental health and how it’s affected her not just as a creative but an African creative.
“I started my creative journey in 2009 and it has just been a roller-coaster from then on. I have performed on quite a number of stages and even got signed to BitterSweet Poetry. My following and fan base started enlarging and growing and things were going well. However, in 2019 I made the decision to step back from my artistry and re-evaluate myself as a person and as a creative. I had to redefine my craft and in order to do this I had to take an outsider looking in perspective. As artists, digital platforms do help to spread our art and create streams of income but then it comes to a point like you have no choice. I generally do believe that I am not a social media person and I found it hard to read all the trolling comments and opinions that people had about my art. For the sake of my mental health I had to take a break from social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, because it took away my sense of peace. I couldn’t just post and share my opinions without being attacked by people.
How could I freely express myself in a world that if I do freely express myself I get crucified? I have come to the conclusion that I am a bit too extra for an African conservative crowd that isn’t ready to have discussions on topics we have always been told are taboo or are strictly reserved for private places. The worst thing as a creative is to feel like you’re draining your energy on things that do not really matter or boxing yourself in and your artistry in order to meet people’s expectations. In Africa issues about mental health still have ways to go before the stigma ends. Mental health has been synonymous with being weak for such a long time that people have become ignorant to what it truly entails. I believe that it’s through the arts that we can educate a wider audience on what Mental Health is and why it should take precedence just as physical health. I have had intentional steps in my journey that have helped in not just safeguarding but also improving my mental health.”
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