It’s normal to grieve for AKA as if you’re mourning the loss of a loved one.
That’s the word from mental health experts after the outpouring of grief over the killing of the rapper in Durban last Friday.
South Africans have taken to social media platforms to express their sorrow.
Psychologist Sanam Naran, who has more than 460,000 TikTok followers, said in a video she posted on the platform that she had been receiving many requests on how to deal with AKA’s death despite the people not knowing him personally.
“Even though you may not have known him personally, but may have been a fan of his work, you will experience grief and mourning, the same way you may have to someone you may have known personally,” Naran explained.
“You need to give yourself permission to mourn a loss like this. It’s important to decipher for yourself if you would like to watch the news or go through social media posts about his death. You have to decide whether you find it triggering ... Connect with other people feeling the same way you are and try to find ways to support each other.
“Be mindful that sometimes our reaction to a celebrity’s death can trigger unresolved grief regarding someone who was much closer to us. Seek help if it is becoming too much.”
One TikTok user said: “I have given myself permission to grieve and I don’t care if people are ridiculing us. You don’t have to be a family member to feel the loss.”
Another said: “The worst part is mourning when you know that your person died an unjust death. Yes, it triggers me and I’m filled with anger and need for revenge and justice.”
“I think the most triggering was seeing the actual footage of the shooting ... It just brought fear of how killing a human being is so easy in our country,” another user said.
Cassey Chambers of the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) said: “A lot of people must be saying despite not knowing AKA, they feel sad and are grieving. It is very normal to have a reaction, to feel sad or to feel like you are grieving.”
Chambers said the grief was fuelled by AKA’s celebrity status.
“A lot of people have been following his career and his life on social media, connecting to and listening to his music.
“Being a public figure, in some way we feel we did know him.
“He shared so much and with celebrities and public figures we often feel we have a relationship and kind of know them, even though we have never met them face to face ...
“In that social media space we have been able to witness his life and bring his music into our lives. So it is normal that we would empathise and sympathise with the family and feel a loss.”
She said it was not unusual to feel sad and down.
“It shows the love, respect and impact he had on so many people’s lives.
“It’s part of the grieving process when we have lost someone who did mean a lot to us, who we felt we knew. It is important to go through this process.”
TimesLIVE
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