Depression in Africa.

Hi everybody sorry I have awol , so much has been going on.
So today I am going to talk on a topic very dear to my heart. Depression and the fact that we Africans also suffer from it and the fact that we need to create awareness for and about it.
I was in a bus and two young ladies were reading about some  actresses that "claimed" to be suffering from depression.It doesn't matter if they are telling the truth or not, but the fact they had the guts to admit such is laudable.
Depression is real and not a matter to be trifled with, the fact that we are Africans doesn't mean we are immune to depression and it is not a shame to admit it and seek medical care. Relatives especially in Nigeria make matters worse because they tend to think it is a shame to admit it and that depression equates to madness, it doesn't it is an entirely different entity and they tend to make snide comments like "O na apu obele ala" ("she is slightly going mad") and if its an unmarried lady worse it means madness runs in her family.
A very dear friend of mine lost her life to depression and I know she told her relatives about her mental state but they especially her mother told her not to speak of it again as it is would make her unmarriageable. Well she is gone now and no marriage, the irony. When the body is Willing to go on but the mind is ready to throw in the towel, its dangerous. Sometimes it might not even have reached the depression range, might just be sheer despair and losing faith in the world. Besides Let's face it Nigeria is a state were depression should be common but we are dogged, determined and survivors but not everyone  is made that way and we should encourage each other in every situation.
"Speak out and save a life" especially the ladies, your lives are worth more than marriage, am not a feminist just speaking(in this case typing) the gospel truth.
                                           Amaal