Chronicle Editor
Yvonne Ncube, Showbiz Correspondent
LOCAL artistes and influencers hooped it up in a basketball game on Saturday to promote mental health awareness at The Mitre Bar in Bulawayo.
The event sought to provide an opportunity for people to connect and talk about mental health, which is not widely discussed in society, yet it impacts many.
Artistes and influencers who included Asaph, Shadel Noble, Indigo Saint, J Garnet, Rodney Mabaleka, and Vimbai Matunga all rose to the occasion.
According to the event organiser, Vuyisile Ndlovu, in addition to promoting awareness about mental health, the event aimed to dispel a widespread impression that Bulawayo does not support local artistes.
“This is an idea that I came up with a few months ago and I shared it with the Hip Hop Power Fest team who were keen on it.
We realised that basketball, Hip-Hop, and Sneaker Fashion all go together.
But we needed to use all this for a good cause, otherwise, it would have been useless. So, we chose something that affects us all which is mental health.
“We sought to raise awareness on mental health and we brought together local artistes and influencers so as to prove two common misconceptions wrong, that Bulawayo doesn’t support its artistes, and that its artistes don’t support Bulawayo. So, today (Saturday) is a testament that both statements couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Ndlovu.
He said mental health is an issue that is often overlooked.
“We felt like mental health issues are overlooked and not talked about enough, yet they affect us all. Therefore, we decided to do something that has been proven to help in the fight against depression.
“There’s still a bit of a stigma in our society that mental health issues are not supposed to be talked about. A person doesn’t feel free to address that kind of issue in public.
Even from the influencers and celebrities, these are people that battle mental health on a daily basis. We want to normalise that it’s normal for us to all go through stuff and it’s also normal for us to speak about it.
We’re really trying as much as we can to address this issue whenever we can,” Ndlovu said.
Model Shadel said: “I’m so glad we came together for a good cause because mental health should not be taken lightly. Mental health is rife and could lead people to have suicidal thoughts.
If not taken seriously it can have severe effects.
“As young men, especially, it’s hard to express our feelings. We’re taught to be hard as a rock and I so want to be part of changing this. If you cry, it shouldn’t mean that you’re weak.
I’m happy and proud of everyone that came together to support this good cause. Mental health deserves our attention every day.”
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter