Last year ... was hell.
Afo gara-aga... dirim ka oku.
(Laughter)
(Ichi ochi)
It was my first time eating Nigerian "jollof."
O bukwa oge mbu, m riri osikapa "joloofu" ndi Naijiria.
(Laughter)
(Ichi ochi)
Actually, in all seriousness, I was going through a lot of personal turmoil. Faced with enormous stress, I suffered an anxiety attack. On some days, I could do no work. On other days, I just wanted to lay in my bed and cry.
N' eziokwu, ihe m gabigara buru ibu. N' etiti nnukwu nsogbu m, A gabigakwala m nnukwu egwu. Ufodu Ubochi, E nweghim ike iru aru oru. Ubochi ndi ozo, m choo kam noro n'akwa m, bee akwa.
My doctor asked if I'd like to speak with a mental health professional about my stress and anxiety. Mental health? I clammed up and violently shook my head in protest. I felt a profound sense of a shame. I felt the weight of stigma. I have a loving, supportive family and incredibly loyal friends, yet I could not entertain the idea of speaking to anyone about my feeling of pain. I felt suffocated by the rigid architecture of our African masculinity. "People have real problems, Sangu. Get over yourself!"
Dokinta juru nam a ga-acho ihu okacha ibe na-ahu maka isi izu oke,maka nsogbu na nchegbum. Isi izu oke? Oriri m onu, e fekwara m isi n'iwe. Ihere onwe juru m ahu. O dikwa m k'ajuru m aju. E nwerem ezinulo huru m n'anya nke ukwu na ndi enyi m tukwasara obi, na agbanyeghi ya, ekweghi m agwa onye obula, gbasara ihe mgbu m. O dikwam k'onweghi ihe m puru ime n'ihi omenala anyi n'Africa, gbasara obi isi ike nwoke kwesiri inwe. "Ndi nmadu na enwe nsogbu,Sangu. Nagide onwe gi"
The first time I heard "mental health," I was a boarding school student fresh off the boat from Ghana, at the Peddie School in New Jersey. I had just gone through the brutal experience of losing seven loved ones in the same month. The school nurse, concerned about what I'd gone through -- God bless her soul -- she inquired about my mental health. "Is she mental?" I thought. Does she not know I'm an African man?
Oge mbu m nuru maka "isi izu oke," E sim Ghana puta ohuu, banye na Ulo akwukwo e be obibi, a kporo Peddie di na New Jersey. A kam gabigara iru uju nmadu asaa ndi nwuru n' otu onwa. Onye n'eleta ndi ahu n'adighi, k' ometuru gbasara ihe m na-agabiga --Chukwu gozie mkpuruobi ya-- o juru m gbasara isi izu oke m. m juom onwe si, "ara a na-ayi ya?" O makwa n'abu m dimkpa Africa?
(Laughter)
(Ochi)
Like Okonkwo in "Things Fall Apart," we African men neither process nor express our emotions. We deal with our problems.
Dika Okonkwo, n'ime "Things Fall Apart," Anyi bu umu nwoke Africa anaghi ekwuputa ihe na-akpagbu anyi Anyi na-e gbokwa mkpa anyi n'onwe anyi
(Applause)
(Iku aka)
We deal with our problems. I called my brother and laughed about "Oyibo" people -- white people -- and their strange diseases -- depression, ADD and those "weird things." Growing up in West Africa, when people used the term "mental," what came to mind was a madman with dirty, dread-locked hair, bumbling around half-naked on the streets. We all know this man. Our parents warned us about him. "Mommy, mommy, why is he mad?" "Drugs! If you even look at drugs, you end up like him."
Anyi na-e gbokwa mkpa anyi n'onwe anyi. A kporo m nwanne m nwoke, ma chikwa ochi megide ndi oyibo-- na kwa oria di iche iche ha na-aya-- nchegbu, na kwa ihe ndi ozo. Site n'ozuzu m nwetara n'West Africa, O bu onye ara bu isi ruru unyi, gbakwara oto a kpaghari na-agbata anyi n'obi mgbe o bula ekwuru 'mental.' Anyi maara onye ara ahu nke oma. Nne na nna anyi doro anyi aka na nti gbasara ya. "Nne,nne, gini mere o jikwa buru onye ara?" o bu "ogwu na-aba n'isi! ilegodu y'anya,ihe mere ya, emee gi."
(Laughter)
(Ochi)
Come down with pneumonia, and your mother will rush you to the nearest hospital for medical treatment. But dare to declare depression, and your local pastor will be driving out demons and blaming witches in your village.
Oria oyi yaa gi, nne gi ga-ebuze gi n'ulo ogwu k'agwoo gi. Mana kwuo na i naghi eche uche nke oma, Onye amuma obodo ebido ichu gi ajo mmuo ma na-ebogide ya amusi obodu gi.
According to the World Health Organization, mental health is about being able to cope with the normal stressors of life; to work productively and fruitfully; and to be able to make a contribution to your community. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being. Globally, 75 percent of all mental illness cases can be found in low-income countries. Yet most African governments invest less than one percent of their health care budget in mental health.
Nzuko World Health Organisation, kwukwara na isi izu oke bu i nwe ike i ji gabiga ihe na esogbu anyi kwa ubochi; i ji were na-aru olu ga amita mkpuru; nakwa i nwe ike meere obodo gi ezigbo ihe. Isi izu oke gunyere uche izu onu na kwa mmeko mmadu n'ibe ya. Gburugburu uwa niile, iri asaa na ise ime otu nari onodu isi mgbaka o bula n'esite n'obodo otutu ndi bi n'aya bu ogbenye. N'agbanyeghi nkea, otutu ndi ochichi Africa na-aroputa naani otu n'ime uzo otu nari bojeeti ahu ike obodo ha i ji kwado isi izu oke.
Even worse, we have a severe shortage of psychiatrists in Africa. Nigeria, for example, is estimated to have 200 -- in a country of almost 200 million. In all of Africa, 90 percent of our people lack access to treatment. As a result, we suffer in solitude, silenced by stigma.
Nke kazi njo buzi n'anyi enweghi otutu ndi oka ibe n'ahu maka isi izu oke n'Africa. Na Nigeria, i ji maa atu, o bu nari abuo n'ime obodo ndi no n'ime ya ruru nde nari abuo. N'Africa niile, iri itoolu n'ime otu nari nmadu a naghi e nweta ezigbo ogwu ahu ike. N'ihi nkea, anyi n'anwu n'ekwughi okwu, na kwa i kpa oke a na-akpa n'etiti ndi ahu di na ndi ahu adighi.
We as Africans often respond to mental health with distance, ignorance, guilt, fear and anger. In a study conducted by Arboleda-Flórez, directly asking, "What is the cause of mental illness?" 34 percent of Nigerian respondents cited drug misuse; 19 percent said divine wrath and the will of God --
Agwa anyi na-akpa mgbe o bula ekwutere okwu isi izu oke, bu nke ikpa oke, amaghi ihe, amam ikpe, egwu, na kwa iwe. Na nchoputa nke Arboleda-Florez, oge o juru si, "kedu ihe n'ebute isi mgbaka?" iri ato na ano n'ime otu nari si n'o bu ogwu n'aba n'isi; iri n'itoolu si na o bu iwe si na chi nakwa otu chi siri choo ya--
(Laughter)
(ochi)
12 percent, witchcraft and spiritual possession. But few cited other known causes of mental illness, like genetics, socioeconomic status, war, conflict or the loss of a loved one. The stigmatization against mental illness often results in the ostracizing and demonizing of sufferers. Photojournalist Robin Hammond has documented some of these abuses ... in Uganda, in Somalia, and here in Nigeria.
iri na abuo, si na o bukwa amusu. Mana ufodu kwuputezikwara ihe ndi ozo nwere ike i bute ya, dika site n'obara nne na nna, inwe ma o bu enweghi ego, agha, esemokwu ma o bu onwu onye nmadu huru n'anya. I kpa oke a na-akpaso ndi isi mgbaka n'eme ka ha dika ndi achupuru achupu nakwa ndi a juru aju. Onye n'edeta okwa; Robin Hammond detukwara ufodu ikpa okea... Na Uganda, Na Somalia, Nakwa ebea bu Nigeria.
For me, the stigma is personal. In 2009, I received a frantic call in the middle of the night. My best friend in the world -- a brilliant, philosophical, charming, hip young man -- was diagnosed with schizophrenia. I witnessed some of the friends we'd grown up with recoil. I heard the snickers. I heard the whispers. "Did you hear he has gone mad?" (Kru English) "He has gone crazy!" Derogatory, demeaning commentary about his condition -- words we would never say about someone with cancer or someone with malaria. Somehow, when it comes to mental illness, our ignorance eviscerates all empathy. I stood by his side as his community isolated him, but our love never wavered.
Na nghota nke m, Ikpa oke si na mkpebi obi nke nmadu. N'afo 2009, A nataram ozi site n'igwe eji ekwu okwu, n'otu abali. Enyim kasi hunanya n'uwa niile-- ezigbo nwoke mara nma, ma marakwa akwukwo nke ukwu-- nwere oria 'schizophrenia' site na nchoputa ulo ogwu. Ndi enyi soro anyi were too, gbanwere ma kpawa oke. a nukwaram ochi azu. A nukwara m ntamu. "I nuru n'isi agbakaala ya?" "O yi bago ara!" Okwu mkpari na nneda anya gbasara onodu ya -- okwu enweghi ike ikwu gbasara onye n'aria cancer ma o bu oria anwunta. ufodu oge, e kwute okwu oria isi mgbaka, amaghi ihe anyi n'ekpuchi obi ime ebere anyi. A nonyerem ya oge obodo ya gbaketara ya azu, n'ihi na ihunanya anyi sikwara ike.
Tacitly, I became passionate about mental health. Inspired by his plight, I helped found the mental health special interest alumni group at my college. And during my tenure as a resident tutor in graduate school, I supported many undergraduates with their mental health challenges. I saw African students struggle and unable to speak to anyone. Even with this knowledge and with their stories in tow, I, in turn, struggled, and could not speak to anyone when I faced my own anxiety, so deep is our fear of being the madman.
N'ezie, e bidoro m nwebe nmasi gbasara isi izu oke. Site n'onodu enyi m, e sokwam were kee ogbako ndi nwere nmasi gbasara isi izu oke n'ulo akwukwo koleeji anyi. Dika onye mgbazi na Mahadum m kuziri ka m gusiri akwukwo, E nyekwara m umu akwukwo Mahadum aka na nsogbu gbasara isi izu oke ha. A huru m k'umu akwukwo Africa si adoli mana ha adighi ekwe agwa onye o bula. N'agbanyeghi ihem maara gbasara isu izu oke na akuko ihe di ozo n'agabiga, Mu onwem, na-agabigazikwa nke m, mana o nweghi onye m nwere ike i gwa, n'ihi n'egwu na-atuzikwa m, Otu a k'egwu anyi i bu onye ara siri di omimi.
All of us -- but we Africans especially -- need to realize that our mental struggles do not detract from our virility, nor does our trauma taint our strength. We need to see mental health as important as physical health. We need to stop suffering in silence. We must stop stigmatizing disease and traumatizing the afflicted.
Anyi niile-- o kachasi ndi Africa -- kwesiri i ghota na ihe anyi na-agabiga a dighi e gosi adighi ike anyi, nke mkpagwu n'eyi anyi egwu ji e mebi ume anyi. O kwesiri k'anyi ghota n'isi izu oke dikwa mkpa dika ahu izu oke. O di mkpa n'anyi kwusiri ita ahuhu ma daa ogbi k'aturu a na-akpuchasi aji. Anyi ga-akwusi i neghara ndi oria na kwa oria ha n'aya.
Talk to your friends. Talk to your loved ones. Talk to health professionals. Be vulnerable. Do so with the confidence that you are not alone. Speak up if you're struggling. Being honest about how we feel does not make us weak; it makes us human.
Gwa ndi enyi gi. Gwa ndi i huru n'anya. Gwa ndi okacha ibe na-elekota, ndi oria o buru na ahu esighi gi ike gosiputa ya na-enwegi egwu o bula. o bughi naani onwe gi kwu. Kwupute ihe i na-agabiga. Ikwu eziokwu gbasara otu ahu si e me anyi, a naghi e gosi a dighi ike anyi; o bu akara na-anyi bu nmadu.
It is time to end the stigma associated with mental illness. So the next time your hear "mental," do not just think of the madman. Think of me.
O ge erugo i ji kwusi i kpa oke gbasara ndi isi mgbaka. Ya bu, oge ozo i nuru maka "mental," e chela naani maka onye ara. Chee maka m.
(Applause)
(Iku aka)
Thank you.
Daalu nu.
(Applause)
(Iku aka)