Mental Health And The Intergenerational Relay Race

Hi Chomi,

There isn’t a South African alive who hasn’t danced to the old school band Stimela. That band gave our grandparents “Zwakala” and are an absolute Mzansi favourite. Their song “See The World “Through the Eyes of a Child” is a song that reflects how children experience life alongside adults, often carrying the heaviest emotional weight because they have little power to change their circumstances.

Then there’s the banger “Go On Living Your Life” which many South Africans think is a break up song, but it actually isn’t. The lyrics are about a young person who is overwhelmed so much by the strife, pains and struggles of life that they believe being alive is absolutely pointless. The legendary sir Nana Coyote sings “We’re all tributaries of the great river of pain…” meaning he was aware that all people suffered at some point or another and it hurts! He also says “You’re telling me life is not so easy. What do you plan to do about it…” In the song, Mr Coyote is speaking to someone who is having thoughts of unaliving themsleves. With compassion and hope he encourages them singing, “There is so much you can get out of life… go on living your life.”

You have probably danced to that song, chomi, and while some of the lyrics may not be how we engage in healing, they certainly shed light that mental health is something our families have come across and most likely battled with. What a gift to be alive at a time where there are communities that hold space for our mental wellness and give us practical tools to use along our mental health journey.

We are the generation that’s

• Breaking the silence and normalizing conversations about mental health and healing. Our brave steps towards seeking help may inspire others to do so as well!
• Naming our emotions to tame them
• Acknowledging that choosing healing may be misunderstood but it is necessary

The facts are:

• We are healing trauma that’s been passed down to us genetically. Scientists call that epigenetics
• We are healing our bloodlines, our children’s children will have healing passed down to them from us
• We are creating a better world for ourselves because when we can hold space for ourselves, our healing, our boundaries, our joys… we are teaching the world how to treat us! And that will make it really hard for people to claim ignorance because those who interact with us will know better.

This life thing is a relay race from our ancestors, with the baton being passed down from generation to generation. Our baton is fire, chomi! We're gonna look at ourselves a few decades from now and be proud! Beaming “Yeah, we did that!” Join Jikizinto’s ‘#NameItToTame It’ campaign online and help us change how our generation talks about mental health — one word at a time.

If you ever need support along your journey, Big Sis gotchu.

📞Call the Big Sis Helpline: 08000 12 84 55

💬Chat with the Big Sis AI Chatbot on WhatsApp/Moya: 060 074 7837

☎️Or call SADAG (toll-free): 0800 567 567

#NameItToTameIt, #BreakTheSilence, #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, #MentalHealthIsReal, #JiKi'Zinto, #BigSis, #IronSharpensIron