Young north author speaks about how he overcame depression
“The support I got from my grandmother, friends, fans and relatives who always encouraged me to focus on my work and become a better person, helped me to become strong every day."
An overload of personal problems drove a Soshanguve young author to the brink of suicide but through professional help, he has managed to blossom in his arts career.
Rudance Malope (21) lived with depression for about two years, just after he matriculated in 2014.
“I started developing stress and depression after my matric results came out not as I expected. The results were not good,” he said.
“I was not able to get to university, which was one of my dreams, and I did not have enough money to go to college.”
He said the gap year he took caused him a lot of anxiety and depression.
“Most of the times I would sit there and blame myself for not working harder. I would sit and stress about a lot of things at once,” said Malope.
“I would sometimes lock myself up for days without going out, lost interest in activities I like and felt hopeless.”
Malope said later that year, he lost his mother “which made [his] depression worse”.
He started doubting that things would ever get better. But he had to carry the negative weight every day, with thoughts that life was pointless.
“The death of my mother caused me much pain that I started feeling lonely and I started having suicidal thoughts. I attempted suicide twice, but failed on both occasions.”
Matters changed when he started counselling sessions with a therapist.
“The meetings I had with my therapist helped me get my strength and confidence back.
“I started having full control over my mind, not allowing fear or small obstacles to let me down and I started feeling free to live every moment of my life with joy and abandon.”
After he recovered in 2016, Malope went into music, film-making and book writing.
“I wrote songs to manage stress and depression, though the songs were not about what was exactly happening in my life.
“I made a transition from music to film in mid-2016, and I was part of the story called Life after matric created by Tevin Kubayi.”
Malope wrote two books, Was she the one, followed by What have I done to get raped, which were launched in Soshanguve with Mayana Tlakula.
He said after that he was able to produce a movie, which helped him realise the talent he had for the arts.
“The support I got from my grandmother, friends, fans and relatives who always encouraged me to focus on my work and become a better person, helped me to become strong every day.
“I want to see myself collaborating with big productions, seeing my stories being televised and educating the youth. I also want to own a strong film production company that will tell real-life stories,” he said.
Malope encouraged the youth to explore their capabilities, to be innovative and to collaborate with others to become great.
“I want to encourage anybody who might be going through depression and anxiety that it will all come to pass. They should not bottle things inside, they should try find professional help because it is very important to find way to deal with stress,” said Malope.
READ MORE: Young north author wants to make it easier for parents, children
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