Presenter fights depression through poetry
ZBC’s YGT presenter and poet, Cynthia “Blackbird” Mapando, says she is using poetry to fight depression.
The 19-year-old says her poems have managed to save some people from going the wrong path.
“For some time now, people have been giving testimonies on how I have been changing lives through my work and it’s such a blessing.
“Depression is something that is taking the lives of so many different people in this era and is not getting enough attention.
“It is very difficult to overcome but once we deal with it then we can have fewer cases of suicides and drug and substance abuse taking place,” she said.
The young poet says her work is inspired by the people around her.
“I believe that everyone has a story to tell and it takes a lot of wisdom to understand what that story is.
“During our teenage years, we face issues like peer pressure, which is one of the leading causes of depression.
“If a person is not strong enough, he or she might end up being seriously affected by peer pressure to the point of thinking of ending his or her life.
“Depression exists in every class, it hits no matter how old or young you might be and that’s something you can’t run away from,” said Cynthia.
To date, she has penned thought-provoking poems like “Life Is Never Easy”, “Life Is Full of Hurtful Things”, “Things That We Don’t Even Understand”, “Challenges”, “Betrayals”, “Rejections,” among others.
Cynthia is a presenter for ZBC’s shows, the Young, Gifted and Talented (YGT) and LipSync.
She is also a presenter for Bira Renhetembo and LitFest. Her poetry has been published in magazines.