Jimmy Jean-Louis: Black nations don’t care about mental health but wealth

Jimmy Jean-Louis, Haitian-French actor and model, says black nations focus more on acquisition of wealth at the expense of care for one another.

The award-winning media personality disclosed this while speaking with BBC Pidgin on mental problems among black people

Jean-Louis said such misplacement of priority has birthed a situation where blacks lose themselves due to lack of proper care for one another.

“We’re losing ourselves because we don’t care enough for ourselves. We don’t care for our people, we care for things, we care for money, we care for this and that but we don’t care for people. For me, that’s probably the biggest issue. For me, the most important thing in life is us,” he said.

Noting that mental problems remain one of the the biggest issues facing black nations, the ‘Heroes’ star said it is imperative for Africans to have paradigm shift in their view about life.

“When it comes to social issues I think they are all meaningful, but often in black nations, one of them that is neglected is mental problem,” he said.

“It’s easier to categorise people as crazy than trying to dig into what’s actually wrong with them.  These people have gone through so much, the trauma is real.

“They need proper help but they are not going to get them because they are being judged. Just like if you are seek, you go to the doctor and you’re cured. But here, if you are sick in the head , there’s no place to go.”

The 51-year-old actor is among the bevy of movie stars featuring in ‘Citation’, a forthcoming movie by Kunle Afolayan, Nigerian filmmaker.