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Stranger in a strange land: Adebayor’s silent struggles

Stranger in a strange land: Adebayor’s silent struggles

Over the last few weeks, Emmanuel Adebayor has been posting some disturbing details about his family relations on Facebook. The most staggering came on Wednesday, when he spoke of how his brother threatened him with a knife and how he had considered suicide “many times”. As saddening and shocking as this might be, Adebayor might have done something quite incredible for helping to break down the stigma of mental illness. By ANTOINETTE MULLER.

Emmanuel Adebayor has lived an extraordinary life to date. Extraordinary in the sense that he has gone from having no football boots to earning enough to provide, not only for himself, but for his family, and be in a position to support a number of charity projects across Africa. Adebayor might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but his actions mostly suggest that he is a good egg, who cares deeply for his fellow humans.

But Adebayor’s journey has not been without struggles. Last year, he was granted compassionate leave by Tottenham to return to Togo after a family member had taken ill. On Thursday, he was once again granted compassionate leave to return to his home country, but the reasons this time around were very different.

Over the last few weeks, Adebayor has been sharing deeply personal turmoil on his Facebook page. The posts detail heart-wrenching family struggles, and how his generosity has been misused since he earned his first wages as a footballer at the age of the 17. On Wednesday, he posted part three of his story, revealing how, amongst other things, his siblings had held a knife to his throat in a bid to extort money from him. He went on to say that he had considered suicide “many times” because he had grown so desperate to escape the situation.

Without even realising it, Adebayor might have done something incredibly profound. He probably won’t speak about this for some time to come, but by admitting that he has thought about suicide, Adebayor has broken what is still considered a taboo not just in many cultures, but also in much of football. With all the family troubles he has been through, it is not inconceivable that Adebayor might have suffered from depression. The mere fact that he has spoken out about it could have a profound impact on others being ready to speak out too, recognising that suicidal thoughts do not have to have a terminal end. The more prominent figures talk about such struggles, the more they will be normalised across all cultures and, subsequently, the more lives can be saved. To have a well-known African male speak about his struggles so openly could have an enormous impact on the way those who suffer from depression and other mental illnesses are perceived.

With around one million suicides recorded globally each year, more needs to be done to raise awareness around mental health and getting help when it is needed. Studies have shown that at least 70 percent of people who commit suicide will show warning signs.

Across the African continent, the data is scarce, though, and the stigma that surrounds mental illness is often still buried in ignorance and shame. In 2013 a study by Bristol University was conducted into suicide rates across the African continent. Data was available for one third of African countries, covering around 60 percent of the population, with suicide attempt data available for less than 20 percent. According to the study, estimates suggest there are at least 34,000 suicides in Africa, but The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) estimated that there were around 49,558 suicides across the continent each year.

These numbers might even underestimate the magnitude of the problem. Religious and cultural sanctions could mean that suicides are vastly underreported in Africa or deliberately concealed. Because of this, even less is known about attempted suicide on the continent, but it’s widely estimated that for every suicide that occurs worldwide, at least 20 are attempted.

Data across the African continent might be somewhat limited for a number of reasons, ranging from lack of health care in rural areas to the fact that patients are often only admitted to hospital if they are in a critical condition. Add to that that mental illness is still completely misunderstood and these incidents are likely to be completely underreported.

What all studies do agree on is that the rate for suicide in men is far higher than in women. Nobody knows why this is, but it’s widely theorised that it’s because men are less likely to seek help and are far more likely to attempt suicide in a way that has a higher chance of killing them. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

For the time being, Adebayor will return home and try to mend whatever fractured family relationships he can. It won’t be easy, but he has consulted with mentors like Didier Drogba and has a network of people around him who care and who have his best interest at heart. Others are not so lucky.

But, if his history of charitable actions is anything to go by, it won’t be too long before Adebayor realises just how profound the impact of his experience could be for many others who suffer in a similar way. DM

Photo: A file picture dated 12 March 2011 shows Real Madrid’s Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor gesturing during the Spanish Primera Division soccer match against Hercules Alicante at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, central Spain. EPA/JUANJO MARTIN

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