World mental health day: Anglophone IDP pikin dem di share dia tori for heal
Ashwenbom na 17-year old pikin, one of de young pipo weh deh di suffer pain and worry for seka de gunshots, die-bodi, wounds for seka de crisis for Northwest and Southwest regions for Cameroon.
Young IDPS for di art therapy programme Anglophone crisis don enta number four year, plenti pipo don run go oda areas for fear of gunshots-bullet fit kill dem, and she see how deh di kill pipo. For three years we live in fear as we house bi dey for middle, for one side separatists fighters, (Amba boys) dia camp and for de other side army. Im tell BBC Pidgin. "We hear plenti guns shots sotei de tin di sound for hear all de taim." "If not for God ah for don die, ma mami send me for kontri Sunday and as ah komot for house amba boys and army start shoot". "Ah run, confuse, just stand for one place. Wen shooting start, army see you deh go shoot, but ah get luck dat day, 'mbere' (soldier) signal me for run from where ah hide. "Den as ah di run ah see amba boy e tell me for run enta wan old mami e house. Ah sleep for de old mami e house go back de next day. Mami don di craiy as deh kill some boy for quarter e check say na me". "Mami, we no go fit continue wit de too much guns shots, we di jump any taim we hear noise, we mind no di rest, we must leave", Ashwenbom tell e mami. Ashwenbom weh e drop for school and suppose for enta university dis year kam Yaoundé wit e mani. "Dis experience don make me ah no wan see or hear gunshot because e di cut ma heart, and some taims ah di just feel sad, but ah thank God say we komot for Kumba kam Yaounde." Im tok. Franca Sulem Yong na di coordinator of Positive Youths Africa 'Story-telling fit heal Anglophone pikin' Franca Sulem Yong na woman weh e use tori for heal Anglophone pikin dem, as e believe say dia tori dem form de Anglophone crisis bi unique and deh need for tell'am. Sulem Yong, wey be di coordinator for Positive Youths Africa, wit e partner HARo organise story telling for helep young pipo, 13-19 years for free dia minds, tink positive as activity for mark mental health day. "We tell dem say dia stories bi unique and deh get for tokam as e di helep dem release dia pain, make dem strong", Sulem Yong tok. As na young pipo weh deh still get big imagination, and di form who deh wan bi, we also teach dem exercises for keep dia mind present and happy, push away negative thought", she tok. Sabi pipo say meditation dey helep pipo with mental healt problem Ashwenbom, wey be one of di pipo Yong helep tori e experience say di 'purpose diary' for write e story and make exercise weh e di komot e mind for negative tin and e say e promise say e go practice' am for house. For Yong, she wan use her story-telling campaign to raise awareness, how pipo fit heal demselves for society laik Cameroon weh plenti facilities no dey, focus for mind. "Wen sabi pipo tok mental health, dia focus na education and physical health, deh di forget say everything di start for mind and na for deh e fit end, so we wan change, form peaceful mind set as we know say victim fit become warrior. We di transform dem from war victims for agents of sustainable peace", de young leader tok.