“Not resting is part of the manifestation of that internal oppressor where you are only as good as the work that you do. So rest is resistance”
Filmmaker and Counseling Psychologist, Dr. Michelle Nyangereka, discusses her life journey and growth from Uganda to the UK to Italy and back. She talks about the feeling of otherness she experienced in her youth growing up in Cambridge, because she did not always fit into the social groups around her. When she was in college in Northampton, she had a rude awakening. She realized that just being Black was not sufficient for her to fit in with all Black people.
Dr. Michelle also notes that it was during her time in University that she became interested in psychology because she was so fascinated by the storytelling aspect and theory behind television and film production. Later she began to realize how the majority of the people around her seemed to have mental illnesses but she was unable to help them because she was not a professional. This motivated her to get educated on the subject.
A significant theme across this dialogue is the embodiment of trauma. What this means is that in our childhood, and even young adulthood, wounds and painful experiences make physical manifestations in our adult life as pain or various health issues. Dr. Michelle notes, however, that as Black people, we have an additional collective historic trauma that is passed down generationally from Colonialism and Slavery. If you look at the Black community globally, there are higher instances of diabetes, arthritis, glaucoma, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, fibroids, endometriosis and other autoimmune diseases. The body is physically attacking itself, and it is difficult to create boundaries between the self and what’s outside the self. Michelle’s personal experience with chronic acute inflammation exemplifies the physical embodiment of trauma that so many Black people endure.
You can listen to Michelle’s episode or Watch the full video below!