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| Jabulani Tsambo AKA HHP |
We are skeptical about pain we don’t physically see. We are doubting
Thomases that only believe after seeing a visible scar.
The death of South African Hip Hop artist, Jabulani Tsambo, whose
stage name was HHP has broken the hearts of many South Africans and people from
other parts of the world whose lives he touched. HHP was on record for
disclosing that he had attempted to die by his own hand thrice in 2015. When he
disclosed that, not many people took him seriously. As with most depression
cases, people thought that he was attention-seeking or just exaggerating. In
fact, one radio DJ came under fire for asking on air, “Why would someone that
famous want to commit suicide?” The fire was not necessary. It was a question
on many people’s minds. HHP was a delight to listen to when he spoke. I’d actually sit down and listen to him. He
appeared to be happy and very much in touch with himself and one would think he
had it all – talent, respect in the industry, a huge fan base, and maybe enough
money to keep him comfortable. Getting a breakthrough in the entertainment
industry is not easy for many, but he was up there being counted among the
best. There was just this aura of positivity and someone who was comfortable in
his own skin about him. He appeared to be working his way out of the woods, but I guess the darkness that engulfed him eventually overcame the light. In light of what has happened now, can it be concluded
that all that was just a farce? Was he really positive one moment and then the
darkness would engulf him the next?
The question comes back again, why would someone like that want to die
and not enjoy life? Why would someone like that not count his many blessings?
There are many paupers on the streets, people living wretched lives yet they
don’t take themselves out, why would someone who seemingly had it all want to
end it all? Those are the questions many would ask. I used to ask that question
too, but I’m slowly trying to learn what I can about depression and how this
horrible, horrible condition afflicts people and takes the joy out of life. This post by a writer who suffers from depression, Stirling Gardner helped me put things into perspective a whole lot more on the subject. It
is not just ‘losers’ or poor people that take their own lives. Famous and
seemingly well-to-do people also do. They have their own serious issues to deal
with, regardless of outwardly looking like everything is honky dory. Think of
America comedian Robin Williams, wildly popular musician Avicii, renowned
artist Vincent van Gogh, HHP’s compatriots pioneering cardiologist Professor
Bongani Mayosi, actress Shoki Mokgapa, actor Christopher Kubheka, and many
others. What this means is, even your strong friends or those that seem to have
it together also need looking out for.My fear, though, with big stars taking their own lives is that it brings so much disillusionment to the ordinary person suffering from depression. It could make one feel, "If people like HHP could not cope, there is absolutely no hope for someone like me." Yet HHP was just a human being like the rest. After getting off the stage, he would go back home to face his own demons and struggles.
Many a time we have thrown that word around as if it is something very light, like, Oh my goodness! Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have broken up! Now I'm seriously depressed." That is not depression. It is quite
a heavy subject, especially on the souls of those it afflicts, more so because
it has no visible tell-tale signs. If you have a broken arm, people will drive
you around, help with carrying your groceries, and make the right sounds to
make you feel they care and they see your pain. It is a different ball game
when it is something inside your head that is broken. People can’t see it. When
it does show up, it usually manifests in very negative ways that probably
further distances people from the sufferer.
I believe the black community needs a lot of assistance in
understanding depression and its grave, excuse the pun, consequences. I was one of those people that thought depressed people must just make an effort to save their own lives, not allow themselves to sink. They could just take a walk, go and watch a movie, or listen to their favourite music, and feel better. Now I know better. A severely depressed person can't even bring himself get out of bed, let alone put one foot in front of the other to take a walk. There
isn’t even a word for depression in most African languages, including my own,
Shona. Any disease of the mind is just described as madness. It doesn’t matter
if it’s autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression or anything
in-between. If your brain is not functioning as it should, you’re definitely
mad. The result is a huge stigma attached to all those with diseases of the
mind, and many just clam up to avoid getting labelled. Also with the poverty
levels in most black African communities, it only makes sense to go for medical
attention when you are suffering from physical pain of some sort – headache,
diarrhoea, high blood pressure, and the like. People are just walking around
with no diagnoses, oblivious to the fact that they are depressed and in
desperate need of medical attention. We need help explaining how to tell when
your mind is hurting, because it does. What are the symptoms, where do you go
for help? There is a big gap when it comes to addressing mental illnesses.
It is a phenomenon that intrigues and terrifies me. It hurts families,
and people believe people who commit suicide are selfish. Experts say the signs
are usually there, but most people do not see them for what they are. It’s just
usually seen as acting out, until it’s too late. An example is that of the late
Rhodes University student, Khensani Maseko, who committed suicide after
allegedly getting raped by her boyfriend. She posted her birth and death dates,
as well as other tell-tale signs that she was not coping psychologically on
Twitter. People only started paying serious attention after she had already
died.
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| Images Khensani Maseko posted on her Instagram before taking her own life |
It really is time for that serious conversation, as black people,
about how the mind, like any other body parts, also gets sick. When that
happens, it needs to be treated and support is needed for people struggling
internally. It is not a shameful thing when your mind fails to cope with life’s
stressors. It’s not a laughable matter. It is a very serious issue that can
cost lives when it goes untreated. It is costing lives, many, many lives, and
one life lost to suicide is one life too many. Some suicides can definitely be
avoided.
I have written about suicide and how it is viewed in the African
context, as well as mental health issues in general. Please visit the links below.
- The lonely world we live in, and being dark clouds in other people's lives
- Understanding mental illness in the African context
- Discussion on high suicide rate in Swaziland
- Appalling treatment of mentally ill people in Swaziland
- Silence is not Always Golden
- "It's My Life" are just songs Bon Jovi and Dr Alban sang, not a mantra to live by
