Today, Candy Margaret Vizengwa from CEJAD’s communications team, shares her personal insights on how storytelling can powerfully support healing, advocacy, and safe spaces for open conversations around suicide.
This the second part of a five-part blog series: Breaking the Silence – Reflections on Stigma, Grief, and Suicide in Kenya. Read the full series introduction here.
*Warning: This article discusses suicidal behaviour. If you have questions on self-harm or feel suicidal, use this link to find an international helpline.*
The CEJAD team in Kenya with filmmaker Heshani Sothiraj Eddleston
I joined the team during the planning phase of the Her Name Was Sita film screening and was glad to contribute to the lead up of the event.
Even though I wasn’t part of the initial scoping, I did make the most of time my time on the project and enjoyed every part of the experience, from the organising, logistics and handling social media to mobilising the audiences that showed up for the screening and being on stand-by and available for any other duties that came up.
From Silence to Story: What ‘Her Name Was Sita’ Teaches Us
Even within the short time frame I was involved, I learned a lot from the screening and the discussions that followed.
This is a topic that I deeply care about, and I was struck by the meaningful impact of this engagement.
Her Name Was Sita is a powerful and emotional film that exposes the quiet pain of grief and the deep scars left by shame.
What moved me most was the theme of silence – how families and communities are often left to grieve alone after suicide.
In Kenya, as in many places, suicide remains a taboo subject, and this silence can be deeply harmful.
The film also reminded me that suicide is not just a personal tragedy, but a reflection of a wider societal failure to offer support and empathy.
Even after losing her mother at a young age, Sita faced judgment and stigma, enduring the painful hand-pointing of society.
Sadly, this is something that happens here too, especially in rural areas, where families and friends of those lost to suicide often face shame.
Even worse, this kind of stigma is now creeping into urban areas and is sometimes amplified on social media platforms like TikTok.
Through Sita’s story, I realised that a single story can carry the weight of many other voices.
Storytelling can make the invisible visible – turning silence into dialogue and stigma into empathy.
Creating safe spaces for vulnerability, healing, genuine connections and honest conversations
CEJAD’s coordination and commitment leading up to the screening was truly commendable – from selecting a relevant film to organising a reflective and impactful panel discussion.
I also found the inclusion of mental health professionals in the space to be both necessary and useful.
The space created allowed for honest dialogue, learning, and emotional connection, helping to break the silence around suicide and mental health.
This event served as a crucial reminder that storytelling can be a tool for healing and advocacy.
One moment that stood out for me was hearing my friend and schoolmate open up about a classmate who took his life after finishing a film project together.
It was heart-warming to see that he felt safe enough to open up and share in that space.
That moment captured what this work is truly about: creating vulnerability, genuine connection and a safe space to share one’s story.
Moving forward: opening hearts and minds, empathy and healing through storytelling
The screening and the conversations it sparked are just the beginning.
We need more safe, intentional spaces like this – spaces where people can speak without shame, be heard without judgment, and still have the opportunity to learn and find support.
Mental health remains underrepresented in public discourse, but I truly believe we can change that through continuous engagement, partnerships with mental health professionals, storytelling, and by involving young people in advocacy.
The journey has already begun with the decriminalisation of suicide in Kenya earlier this year and the growing recognition that it is a mental health matter, not a criminal one.
This experience reaffirmed my belief in the work we do.
In communications, it’s not just about delivering messages – it’s about moving hearts, opening minds, and being part of conversations that truly matter.
I look forward to more moments like this, because when more people watch, listen, speak, and build empathy, we are already creating meaningful impact and change.
We must keep telling and retelling these stories, compassionately, because they remind us that none of us are alone in our struggles
Suicide should never be an option.
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