DO YOU KNOW THAT MUSIC, videos and lyrics can all be used to help treat mental illnesses and Hip-hop therapy is the newest non-traditional approach to addressing mental issues? In a 2018 study from the Music Industry Research Association, 50% of musicians reported battling mental health issues and 12% having suicidal thoughts, nearly four times the general population. In Rwanda, there are no statistics on how musicians are dealing with mental illness, but most of them, especially in the rap scene, started writing and recording after being inspired by the pain and hardships they faced in life. My music is a reflection of my life and how I want to help people heal through melodies and lyrics, says JaeCube, a young merging rapper in Rwanda. Rita Ange Kagaju. According to her, artistes are lucky to have their way around words and ryhthym and use them to channel emotions. Photos/ Courtesy The new member of 109EENT record label added that he got the inspiration to make music from the depression he had for many years which is also the reason that pushed his ambition to help people in such situations using music. This is a similar case with Mani Martin, a renowned Rwandan artiste, who recently went through a state of depression caused by losing his close friend and not being able to interact with people during the pandemic. Talking to this publication, the Destiny hit maker said that mental health should be looked atas something very important to take care of, especially in this era where most peoples lives are being disturbed by unexpected changes on the planet. He added that the interconnection between losing a very important friend, finding himself in the circumstance where he couldnt travel the world to perform and interact with people just translated into a serious feeling of rejection, which took him back to childhood trauma from the abandonment and rejection he experienced as a child. This, Mani Martin said, made him lose motivation to do the things he cherished the most until he opened up to his friend and meditated more on music, something he credits to push his healing process. “I would advise anybody who feels the same or any other unusual way, please talk to someone about it, dont wait for it to get worse until you cant even find the courage to talk,” he added. Today, Mani Martin is on a journey to save lives through his music and has already started by releasing an extended play dubbed ‘Tunez of The people’ which he dedicated to the community. “There is life in music. It brings healing to the emotional struggle,” he said adding, “it is a form of a letter that an artist writes and mails to an unspecified address so that whoever finds it can make it their own” For Confy, one of the leading Afrobeat makers in the country behind hits like Panga, Igikwe and Joana, Music is like an escape of bad thoughts, and peace of mind. “Where words fail music speaks,” he added. The first rising artiste also noted that some of his fans have been expressing how his music touches their soul and give them peace of mind. “One day a girl approached me and cried. I thought I did something wrong to her but she told me that my recent EP eased her depression. That’s how powerful music is, it’s free therapy,” Confy said. In her recent article about Aatistry and poetry, Rita Ange Kagaju, a Rwandan female artistes based in USA, highlighted some of the ways music tackles trauma and depression. She said that artistes are lucky to have their way around words and rhythm, “These are tools that artistes use to channel emotions they would otherwise not be able to communicate directly because they are that intense”. According to Kagaju, artistes use many creative elements to communicate heavy and grievous messages and some of these elements are ‘word play’ and being ‘abstract’. “We write coded messages and send them out into the world. Later, someone from a thousand miles away finds that message and it is a perfect translation of all the feelings they have been trying to make sense of. That particular message from a stranger they never met speaks to them and comforts them”. “When you see your story represented in other people’s experiences, you know you are not the only one. That comes with some level of comfort and safety. It is the magic of music” she said, explaining how music heals. Music does not only entertain or heal lives, it is also used in exposing brutality and raising a voice for the community especially in the Hip Hop scene, according Kenny K-shot, a Rwandan rapper. He said that from top musician like Kanye, Jay z and J Cole to Kendrick Lamar, anti-racism was preached through their albums and sold out shows which made a huge impact in uniting Americans. This, he said, is the same case when it comes to preaching love and unity in Africa. “Music is a voice that no one can control,” he added. Aliane Ikirezi, a student at Mount Kenya University Kigali told this publication that listening to Electronic Dance Music (EDM) gave her comfort until she healed from depression and anxiety. Ikirezi said that by then, it wasn’t easy for her to interact with people but melodies and lyrics of some EDM songs like Titanium by Sia gave her hope to heal.
