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Angela Sibanda, Showbiz Reporter
In 2018, Dr Jerome Teelucksingh from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago founded the International Day of the Boy Child which is commemorated worldwide on May 16.

The day falls into the Mental Health Awareness Week which runs from May 14 to 20 every year.

Compared to the International Day of the Girl Child celebrated annually in October, the International Day of the Boy Child is not given much attention.

This is because society has taught boys to be strong and not to give in to social pressures hence the boy child continues to suffer in silence.

Lately, it has been revealed that men are the most affected when it comes to issues of suicide and drug abuse and this includes artistes.

Saturday Leisure caught up with several male artistes to understand the various challenges faced by the boy child in both the arts industry and society in general and how these contribute to mental challenges and drug abuse.

Poland-based poet and author Mthulisi Ndlovu aka King KG said artistes need to establish programmes that will help them address mental issues. He said men have generally been taught to normalise going through hardships yet that should not be the case.

“In a world where being a man is equated to being invincible, the life of the boy child has become less catered for.

Issues surrounding sexual harassment, verbal and physical abuse in creative spaces perpetrated by women are just another huge concern that society has turned a blind eye to. From homes to workspaces, the environment for the boy child is not safe but no one is prepared to talk about it.

“Sadly, we see the international suicide statistics clearly suggesting that males are above double the number of females committing suicide the world over. Regardless of this fact, the world continues to ignore  the alarming concerns of the boy child. As creatives it is incumbent upon us to create as much awareness as we can with regards to the welfare of the boy child, for without strong father figures in our communities, our social fabric is under threat,” King KG said.

He said artistes have the ability to address these issues if they work together and engage relevant stakeholders to raise awareness.

“In our culture, they say, ‘Indoda kayikhali’. This has for a very long time been our major undoing.

We need to protect our boys the same way we protect our girls. This world has become so cold and sophisticated to sideline each other based on gender.

“As creatives, we need to come up with sustainable youth-focused projects that will empower the general populace from grassroot level. These can include offline and online campaigns, self-help projects, roadshows and engaging the media to also play a part and make it one of their major mandate. We need to do whatever it takes to demystify the invincibility mantra that’s being falsely narrated about the boy child. As artistes we’re drivers of change and we can fix this,” he said.

Another artiste Mzingaye Sibanda, popularly known as “Shoemaker” said despite the fact that not all men who go through depression take their lives or venture into drugs, every man faces challenges that are associated with responsibilities that they have.

“As male artistes, it’s always a struggle to start up due to financial challenges. Our industry is all about exploitation, we put out a lot of work and get very little in the end.

That’s why you find that someone can be a very famous artiste, but at the same time, fail to take care of his family financially. It’s always difficult to stay relevant in the industry and be able to get enough from one’s craft and at the end of the day, people go through depression.

“Most males will go through hardships and depression over life issues but it’s not all who end up being victims of suicide. It is a fact that artistes as fathers and husbands have to fend for their families and when they fail to do so they are stressed up,” said Shoemaker.

Sibanda recently launched a men’s mental issues platform that is meant to allow men to open up and also offers counselling.

“We launched a platform, which is still an event. It’s basically meant to address issues that men go through. We’re trying to create a platform where men can come through anonymously and open up. We had a conference in Bulawayo and are soon taking it to Hwange.

“As much as the event is getting an endorsement from most people, we haven’t reached a point where we can say we are now opening up because, in our society, it’s not easy for men to talk about how they feel. We’ve gotten used to being stressed and going through things in a way that it has become our normal,” Shoemaker said.

Award-winning poet Obert Dube said most attention is given to the girl child yet boys too, are subjected to a lot of abuse, including sexual abuse. “The system is not yet conducive enough or friendly enough to allow a boy or male to report abuse. Even among us as men, we aren’t able to discuss our own issues and in some cases people end up suffering a stroke or committing suicide,” said Dube.

National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) provincial manager Cleopatra Dube implored artistes to seek professional help whenever they encounter challenges as well as make use of services that are offered by different organisations.