On Wednesday, a celebration of his life was held at the Bioscope, 44 Stanley in Milpark, Johannesburg, which saw many renowned comedians and actors show up in support of him.
Khanyisa Bunu, Trevor Gumbi, Chris Forrest, Kagiso Lediga, Bogani Dube, Tol Ass Mo, Donovan Goliath, Hungani Ndlovu, Mandisa "ZuluMecca" Nduna and Loyiso Gola were among the celebrities in attendance.
Ebenhaezer's death sparked a conversation about mental health struggles and social media users have shared their own difficulties in an effort to break the stigma about depression.
TshisaLIVE asked some of the artists at the memorial to weigh in on how artists' mental health and wellbeing could be better supported.
“The first thing is to just listen. A lot of people will post videos and snippets after someone's passing and say the signs were always there. If the signs were always there, why are we missing them in the moment instead of listening and offering support?” Nduna said.
“A lot of people feel awkward about talking about things like anxiety, trauma, depression or PTSD, or whatever the case may be, because they might be going through something of that nature on their own. It's about having candid conversations about it. We are all dealing with things, so knowing that should be a wake-up call for us to be there for each other.”
Actor Thishiwe Ziqubu could not hold back the tears when speaking of Ebenhaezer's death, saying the late comedian spoke about his depression but many failed to listen.
“Ebenhaezer's passing is indeed very tragic but it also shines a light on a great plague facing a lot of people in the country, in the world. When I get specific about artists in general, be it actors or comedians, what we often see is that we don't have an outlet because we are viewed as performers and we are seen as objects because of that and not real people.
“We need to lean on each other, be of support beyond the work. The work itself is very taxing. To pour yourself into a character is a lot to carry. And with the stresses of the industry as well as freelancers, we don't always have a stable income.”
Here's a look at the artists who showed up in support of Ebenhaezer:
IN PICS | Kagiso Lediga, Trevor Gumbi, Donovan Goliath and others celebrate life of Ebenhaezer Dibakwane
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
Close friends and family of Ebenhaezer Dibakwane travelled to Mbombela on Friday to bid him farewell as he was laid to rest.
The comedian, actor and writer died on March 7. A statement shared with TshisaLIVE by the family revealed preliminary evidence suggested he took his own life.
Ebenhaezer Dibakwane’s death sparks movement to share mental health struggles
On Wednesday, a celebration of his life was held at the Bioscope, 44 Stanley in Milpark, Johannesburg, which saw many renowned comedians and actors show up in support of him.
Khanyisa Bunu, Trevor Gumbi, Chris Forrest, Kagiso Lediga, Bogani Dube, Tol Ass Mo, Donovan Goliath, Hungani Ndlovu, Mandisa "ZuluMecca" Nduna and Loyiso Gola were among the celebrities in attendance.
Ebenhaezer's death sparked a conversation about mental health struggles and social media users have shared their own difficulties in an effort to break the stigma about depression.
TshisaLIVE asked some of the artists at the memorial to weigh in on how artists' mental health and wellbeing could be better supported.
“The first thing is to just listen. A lot of people will post videos and snippets after someone's passing and say the signs were always there. If the signs were always there, why are we missing them in the moment instead of listening and offering support?” Nduna said.
“A lot of people feel awkward about talking about things like anxiety, trauma, depression or PTSD, or whatever the case may be, because they might be going through something of that nature on their own. It's about having candid conversations about it. We are all dealing with things, so knowing that should be a wake-up call for us to be there for each other.”
Actor Thishiwe Ziqubu could not hold back the tears when speaking of Ebenhaezer's death, saying the late comedian spoke about his depression but many failed to listen.
“Ebenhaezer's passing is indeed very tragic but it also shines a light on a great plague facing a lot of people in the country, in the world. When I get specific about artists in general, be it actors or comedians, what we often see is that we don't have an outlet because we are viewed as performers and we are seen as objects because of that and not real people.
“We need to lean on each other, be of support beyond the work. The work itself is very taxing. To pour yourself into a character is a lot to carry. And with the stresses of the industry as well as freelancers, we don't always have a stable income.”
Here's a look at the artists who showed up in support of Ebenhaezer:
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
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