In today's world, the importance of self-expression cannot be understated. Its power to restore health and alter the lives of people with mental health problems is frequently disregarded or ignored.

However, Rwandan poet Levis Clement Dudestin, also known as Dudepoet, is taking a stand and using his art to advocate for those struggling with depression and other mental health issues.

Through his latest poem "Agahinda", he sheds light on the rising number of depression cases, especially among youth, and the need for society to recognise and address these issues.

"When we judge someone for making decisions or living a life that is different from our own, we fail to take into account the underlying causes of their actions that we may not be able to see," he said, emphasizing that he often sees this attitude especially in young people who tend to overthink their futures.

Dudestin remarked that the condition deeply affects people's thoughts and emotions yet is not adequately acknowledged by society, with many still not believing it is an issue.

He composed the poem to bring attention to the issue, making it more personal, and to help in raising awareness about mental health.

The poet began writing Kinyarwanda poems in 2010 while he was in senior high school. He said his passion for writing had been present since he was in senior four, when his school promoted both theatre and music. His career as a theatre actor had began before when he was seven.

Dudestin stated that when he began writing poetry, it was not taken seriously; he merely wrote Kinyarwanda poems to be shared at public events within his sector.

Although poetry was not valued the same way as music, he still persisted. His poems were mainly inspirational and motivational, and a way for him to express his views of the world.

In 2014, he began creating audio recordings of his poems and uploading them on YouTube. He said his first two recordings were well-received, but it was still only a hobby.

As he continued to hone his writing skills, he wrote more poems and continued his enthusiasm for poetry.

"I would share the recordings of my poems with friends on social media,” he said. "Since I worked in a recording studio, I was able to take some time to record myself and share my voiced thoughts and emotions.”

In 2020, Dudestin started producing videos to accompany his poems and make them more effective.

He noted that he has 37 audio recordings, and plans to release some of them as albums. So far, he has released three videos for his poems upon realising that people tend to prefer audio-visual poems over just audio.

The poet says he has written over 310 poems, some of which are handwritten, others digitised. He plans to compile them into a poetry anthology.

Apart from his latest poem, Agahinda, other popular poems by Dudestin include Imungu Muri Rubanda featuring Sam Rwogera, which sheds light on modern sayings that can lead to immoral and bad cultures, as well as their causes. He also released Nimpfa, which highlights the difficulty of living with people who cannot give honest advice and can only show care when one is ill or dead. Rukundo Shenge is another poem of his which is more romantic in nature.

Dudestin faces challenges in the poetry industry, as the art is yet to be valued in Rwanda. He also notes that many poets take part in the industry for fun, which does not help to uphold it, and calls for government support to help with this.

He plans to utilise poetry as a means to evenly disperse his ideas and emotions to a wide audience through book writing and audio-visuals. In addition, he hopes to collaborate with other poets to sustain the poetry industry, which is still in its infancy.

Moreover, Dudestin intends to arrange poetry events that provide poets with a stage to showcase their works.

Besides that, the poet is also engaged in creating music videos and film production, especially gospel, as the CEO and Founder of Destiny King Entertainment Group.