Mental health: How a film is getting people back from the brink

By Mazhun Idris

In life, as in art, the 19th-century Russian novelist-essayist Fyodor Dostoevsky was never far from trauma.

"Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart," he would say, reflecting on the many personal tragedies he endured throughout his life.

According to one school of thought, Dostoyevsky, who died in 1881, spoke insightfully about "trauma" through his fiction and essays long before psychology emerged as a scientific discipline in Europe around 1879.

Almost a century and a half later, trauma is accepted worldwide as a condition that needs healing – physiologically and psychologically.

In some conflict-affected communities of northern Nigeria, a film about the impact of trauma is being used to help communities fight the stigma still attached to traumatised individuals seeking help.

Titled From the Brink, the film on the destigmatisation of trauma is produced by Equal Access International, an international nonprofit working to help communities worldwide "drive sustainable and transformative change".

"We use traditional community cinema, visit communities, and organise group viewing sessions of the documentary in open public spaces," a senior officer with the organisation, tells TRT Afrika

"We have done sessions in about a dozen communities across three Nigerian states — Plateau, Kaduna, and Kano."

It's okay to seek help

The plot of From the Brink aims to teach social and behavioural change through story insights.

The story is told from the lens of Sarah, a woman who holds on to a traumatic phase in her life, technically called "advanced childhood experience".

Like Dostoevsky, who never recovered from the shock of waiting to be publicly executed in Saint Petersburg at the age of 27 before the tsar purportedly granted him pardon, Sarah is perpetually haunted by the past.

It turns out that Sarah's parents were killed in front of her during a communal conflict. After losing her family, she moves in with her aunt, only to be sexually abused by the woman's husband.

Sarah is shown as being so traumatised that when she grows up and decides to get married, her nightmares get worse. She has visions of her husband and the childhood abuser coming to kill her.

Her concerned husband decides to seek help and convinces her to join him in seeing a counsellor. He ignores people in the community who label Sarah "a madwoman".

Sarah and her husband find closure in counselling and, much to the audience's relief, live happily ever after.

"Sarah is a case study of a person battling multiple traumas, leading to dissociation from even those who want to help her — in this instance, her understanding husband," the official says.

Fighting trauma is tough

Trauma is a situation of overwhelming experiences that people go through, yet are unable to process by themselves.

Trauma may result from domestic violence, abuse, sexual violence, and other mental health challenges. When it begins to affect a victim's interaction with the people, the person may act this out violently.

Experts say trauma shouldn't be equated with "madness". Neither should there be any shame or taboo about seeking help.

Like depression, often, healing from trauma begins when you can speak out. There are clinical explanations on how overcoming trauma contributes to peace and well-being.

The message of From the Brink centres on understanding trauma and encouraging people to seek help when they are traumatised by a past event.

"We did movie presentations in Nasarawa, Ungogo and Gezawa local government areas of Kano State”, says the Equal Access International officer, who also leads an early-warning-early-response programme that tackles violent conflicts in some Nigerian states.

Cinema works as a balm

Education using cinema is a model of social and civic engagement in which the project is taken to the doorstep of target communities.

"Research shows that communities in northern Nigeria have a deep-rooted love for dramas, and the best means of broadcasting drama presentations are radio and television," the organization says.

Due to factors such as easy accessibility and historical significance, radio and community cinema have been versatile tools for public campaigns, mass communication, and calls to action.

At every viewing cycle of From the Brink, the organisers engage the viewers to get feedback based on their experience and the lessons they learn from the film.

"The show has recorded viewership from youth, women, and traditional leaders. In Barikin Ladi, Plateau state, motorcycle riders stopped by on their own to watch the documentary. Jama’a in Kaduna State had a screening in front of the district head's house. In Kafanchan, the community chief sat among the residents," the officer adds.

Focus on vulnerable groups

The movie project started in 2019 to reach out to people who show signs of trauma induced by conflict, those living in conflict zones and camps for the displaced, and patients diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The organisers identified Nigerian states that are battling social and security challenges such as gender-based violence, religious insurgencies, farmer-herder conflicts, and communal or ethnic tensions.

"Some of these people have lost family members or properties. They need psychosocial support and healing without the fear of stigmatisation," he explains.

Since its public release, From the Brink, has received positive reviews from several quarters. According to the producers, the movie was shot in two different settings with different character names to internalise the cultural contexts of northern Nigeria.