Young author breaks the silence on depression

“Depression is a sense of loss and despair, it is a relatively common phenomenon experienced by almost everyone. It is the overwhelming feeling of sadness and mental pain, it is less dramatic than physical pain yet is much commoner and easier to say my tooth is aching than to say my heart is broken.”

These are the words of a young author, Mulweli Theodora Tshirame, who recently published her first book, entitled Caged emotion: behind the mask.

Growing up in a jam-packed home with people of different surnames made Mulweli feel unloved and unnoticed. “My parents had no struggle with that, but it all affected my growth, and I was dying inside but had to live with it,” she said.

“I remember there was a time when people living in my parents’ care were around 20-something, yet it was fine. It's not like I hated it, I felt unloved and unnoticed. I bottled it up through my whole childhood. But last year I made peace with it and learned that depression is not a disease to be cured, its medicine is patience, letting go and facing your fears. I feared being unloved, yet I was surrounded by love.”

Mulweli said her book tackled issues such as peer pressure, jealousy and other factors that might lead to depression. “We are trapped in the past, just because we are afraid to move on. We compete with people who don't even know we are competing with them.”

According to her, peer pressure strikes not only teenagers or young adults but even parents, because of jealousy.

Mulweli was born and raised at Mutale. She started her education at Life at Portland in 2002 and furthered it at Vision Independent Combined School. She matriculated at New Generation Girls Academy.

Her passion for writing started when she was just eight years old while doing stand-up poetry.

Mulweli said her book was for everyone, “especially those who wake up to put a fake smile on their face yet deep down they know they have to speak out louder. Those people sacrifice their happiness for others and pretend to be fine, yet they are dying inside.”

People interested in her book can phone Mulweli on 079 797 8560.

Entertainment - Date: 11 February 2019

Maanda Bele

Maanda  Bele, born and raised in Nzhelele Siloam, studied journalism at the Tshwane University of Technology.

He is passionate about current news and international affairs.

He worked as part of the Zoutnet team as an intern in 2017.

He is currently a freelance journalist specialising in news from the Vhembe district.

Email: [email protected]