“bo which Depression ba?”
“Bipolar Disorder? na false life de kech da baby de!”
“na wetman sik dem dat, sam…”
“Suicidal Thoughts? noto we i belful? una ker am go church... if Ajesafe pray for dande ehnn!”
-sang- that's the sound of my city, freetong city
the sound of mi country
Sierra Leone
Salone
we don't believe in mental illnesses
the kamajors, the rebels of the mind
say junta. j6. fet sef kin happen na the mind
eastern paddle: the chaos of the mind
crase man, Schizophrenia, na street;
“na do deh do am. e tif fol... a god!”
-sang- that's the sound of my city, freetong city
the sound of mi country
Sierra Leone
Salone
we believe in demonic possessions na di shukubly
young gyal, pass out na di shukubly:
“bo na debul ib am!
wap am!
nak am na di shukubly!”
but in truth, she suffers from Anxiety
and had a Panic Attack
but wi nor believe in dat
na di shukubly
-sang- Ohh noo ohh noo
we believe in sermon pills
go to pastor, god go heal, intervene
e kam pa kam ariogbo go du in ting
-sang- that's the sound of my city, freetong city
-sang- the only place that we know
-sang- the only place we call home
home? home?
No
home understands my mental health
home never makes fun
of me
when the roofs of gloom fall
on me
home’ll follow me
into the dark, give hands
non-judgemental palms
“noto drama e lek. wetman or black man, sik no de choose…
sik nor get race.”
“wi for tek mental health seriously… see, firstly, wi for pay attention to the young wan dem mind state… castrate those things that could frustrate those beings… noto all tin for lef to god… put am dong, ask am where's the pain coming from… mek wi masam… you're not alone.”
that should be the sound of my city .
Victor Forna is a poet and writer living in Freetown.