[b][b]Hello all,

There are some issues that have mind-trodden me, and would like to share it and get your responses.  Hope you take your time and read through.

There are so many mental and psychological problems that are confronting many Blacks and Africans today that go undiagnosed.  As a person who has lived in Nigeria for some years and also in the US for almost equal amount of years, I have noticed that there are a lot of issues that people repress or shy away from.

As a black man, I have noticed that a lot of black men suffer from mental and psychological issues. Some of these problems could be manic-depression, depression, schizophrenia and so on.  But nobody has really taken time to study these people.  And most times, it has to do with the fact that a lot of Africans are too superstitious and delusional about many issues.  I am a firm believer in Christ who attends an African church in the US, but I have come across people (especially men) who actually need some mental and psychological care but usually dismiss it as a spiritual problem.[/b][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][/font]

Another issue is the Stigma that a lot of men try to run away from.  People usually call it ego problem sometimes and some men also fall into the trap of thinking they have ego problem and that is why they are not been able to share their issues with others.  It is not an ego problem. I personally believe that many men in the African communities, are always pressured to come out as strong and also a hegemonic.  For those of us of Nigerian- African background, this should’t be any surprise.  The problem here is that there are issues that they deal with in their personal time that they  usually do not want to share it with people because of their status and so on.
It gets worse especially when they are in leadership positions in Church, politics, work and so on. 

Secondly, a lot of African parents who only have some level of education do not usually have time to notice some strange behaviors in their children.  They do not bother to ask why their children behave in certain ways. Why is one child outgoing and the other child isolating his or herself from others.  Most times, many young men end up in drugs or other acts, not really because they are bad, but because they have received little attentions from their parents and families. African parents never bother to be part of their children lives but live a life of “Me talk, you listen.”  A lot of Africans, who immigrated to United States, usually start off by living in the urban centers. A lot of urban centers are filled with kids with mental and psychological needs.  Most of these African parents live in neighborhoods, like Peckham in UK, New York City Metro areas, Illinois and so on, which are gang infested. They send their kids to schools in these neighborhoods, and a lot of children begin to experience bullying, verbal abuses and so on.   Situations like this actually leads to psychological problems in a child.  The problem is that a lot of African parents do not understand the important of living in a decent neighborhood and they end up living in poor neighborhoods for 10 to 20 years.  Another problem is that they complain about money too much. They think money is their greatest problem.

Nigeria- Being raised in Nigeria, Nigeria is not exempted in this situation.   In a congested city like Lagos with crazy traffic, I wonder how anyone can be normal in this situation.  The high rate of unemployment is also a big issue.  It could be very hard for many men and women to be themselves when they are unemployed for 4, 5, 10 years.  I have not had a job for two years after finishing undergraduate in the U.S. (even though I am currently finishing up with my masters), I have almost gone berserk.  I was already going crazy so many times, because I needed something to do full time and go to school at night. My area of study demands getting up to Masters and PhD before getting a decent job.  I was almost going through a depression state.  I was thinking to myself, how do the people in Nigeria cope being unemployed for many years. Once a person is unemployed for more that nine months, you become socially dysfunctional if care is not taken. I just can not understand it.  How is it possible to be a normal person when you do not have a job? I can not stop empathizing with all the people unemployed in Nigeria, because my situation taught me a lot of lessons.

As for the Children in Nigeria, there is a lot of bullying in Nigerian high schools too which could lead to psychological and mental problem to some kids.  Nigeria itself is a bullying country.  I visited the country few months ago for a wedding, and I was disgusted with the level of repression and oppression in the country.  I just do not think any rich Nigerian should flaunt their wealth any how in such a destabilized society.  There is just too much oppression.  In high schools where kids actually struggle with inferiority complex, at some point they might begin to have psychological and mental issues.  Children, whose parents do not take time to spend time with them, will suffer the greatest.  I went through a private school many years back and left in early SS1, I couldn’t stand the way some kids began to class themselves and ostracize other kids. These are the serious issues that need to be addressed so that everyone could feel included.

In addition to what I have said about the African men in US, a lot of these issues also apply to black men generally in America.  The fact is that they constantly struggle with where they belong in the society.  Without wives and women who have taken a chance to understand them, these issues only get worse and they are not given any chance come out of their cage.

Furthermore, when a man is out of job for a while, the drive and passion would also decline and also a tendency for the person to withdraw. As the quote says, "An Idle man is a devil's workshop". But sometimes what can individuals do when there is nothing to do. A friend of mind has been searching for a job for few years now and He talks to me all the time on how he is almost going crazy. We are both christian and I am beginning to feel that many young men are feeling betrayed by the church. We have both being committed to God since we were young and He is tired of hearing sermons that talks about "God will favor you when you are committed to him" when you see those who are not faithful succeeding. There is a silent depression among many young men I sepak to and in America, everyone has their own problem that nobody bothers about the other person.

African Churches in US: Sometimes, church is the only place you feel you can go because there is nothing else to do. If you have lived in America for a while, you would realize that most indigenous african churches are disconnected with issues that are confronting young people. As a young person who has lived in America for a while, I am kind of sick and tired of praying to fight witchcraft all the time. Most of the African pastors here seem to be too concerned with spiritual warfare. I have been a christian for a while and very knowledgeable of the scripture, I have become more knowledgeable that praying to fight spiritual demons all the time. It is really great to be in an Nigerian church in America and the people are good and well-willed people but can not stop thinking that most Africans have become delusional with demonic attack from home. There are issues that most young adult are dealing with having to do with identity and surviving in an immoral world. At some point, you are hungry for more of a solid biblical teaching beyond fighting witches. Even the most educated among us have been totally confused and deluded by these spiritual warfare gospel. In my opinion, this gospel is dummying down those who are already biblical literates and destroys your zeal to really understand the bible for your self. I do belive that no one should be ordained a pastor without a thorough theology of the bible and separating what they have learned from childhood from what it is.

*****I am sorry I kind of ramble through most of it, but I hope you all understand my points.  There are many issues that need to be addressed in our communities and I believe it starts with you.******

Thank you,
Mr. Senator[/b]

oh well, what's to be done.


men and women both.

lord have mercy.

Interesting,

Insightful

eyah, lord have mercy.