Phumla (Take a rest)

Uthando lwakho mama Women in South Africa are struggling with their mental health. Every day 100 women commit suicide, sometimes successfully. This project is about raising awareness among black women in the townships of South Africa who are not educated about mental illness. We judge people with disorders or call them crazy (amahlanya). The project is to show appreciation and love. In 2017, my mother Nonkululeko Patricia Kubule, was diagnosed with MDD, GAD, BPD, Bipolar, and PSTD. In 2018, I went to University to pursue my career as a photographer. As a single mother, she struggled to pay my tuition, transportation, and household bills. I remember coming home from school one day and finding her asleep. When I woke her up, she could not move, and when I looked around, I found a lot of pills on the floor. I ran and called my grandparents to help me carry her to the car. When I went to the hospital the next day, they told me that she needed the help of specialists who could help her with her mental condition. The next day they sent her to the psychiatric hospital because she was a danger to the family. She stayed there for the last years. She celebrated her birthday every year in the psychiatric hospital. It was not easy and when I graduated in photography, it was very emotional for her and me. This project uthando lwakho mama is to show that I am there for her, through thick and thin. I used the white cloth to show the peace and love she received from her family, to show that we will always be there for her, accept her, and love her forever no matter what happens in her life. This project is to raise awareness for all women and single mothers who struggle with mental disorders.