ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sangu Delle - Entrepreneur
Sangu Delle is an entrepreneur and clean water activist. A TED Fellow who hails from Ghana, he sees incredible potential in the African economy.

Why you should listen

Born in Ghana, Sangu Delle's childhood home was a refuge for victims of torture and violence from neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone. Delle graduated from Harvard College with highest honors in African Studies and Economics. He was awarded the Soros Fellowship and pursued a Juris Doctor of Law and MBA at Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School, respectively.

At Harvard, enrolling in the Social Engagement Initiative program that bridged the academic study and practical service gap, Delle co-founded cleanacwa (formerly the African Development Initiative) in 2007, which today is currently working to bring clean water and sanitation to over 200,000 people in 160 villages in the Ayensuano, Suhum and Nandom districts in Ghana. Delle is also passionate about mental health and wellness, and was a founding member of Harvard University’s Mental Health Alumni Special Interest Group. 

Delle has previously worked at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Valiant Capital Partners. Convinced that the real needs of communities can best be met through entrepreneurship, in 2008 he founded an investment holding company, Golden Palm Investments(GPI) to fund promising start-ups that can have social impact and generate jobs. GPI has backed technology startups such as Andela, Flutterwave and mPharma.  GPI has also built a portfolio of greenfield companies in healthcare, agriculture and financial services. Delle serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GPI.

Delle has received several international accolades including being named a 2016 finalist for “Young CEO of the Year” by the Africa CEO Forum, Africa’s “Young Person of the Year” in 2014 by the Future Africa Awards, selected as a 2014 TEDGlobal Fellow, Forbes’ top 30 most promising entrepreneurs in Africa and Euromoney’s “Africa’s Rising Stars” award. Institut Choiseul and Forbes Afrique named Delle as one of the top “100 Economic Leaders in Africa” in 2015. Mic named Delle as one of 9 entrepreneurs in the millennial generation making a difference. 

Delle is a Trustee of the Peddie School in NJ and serves on the Advisory Board and chairs the Leadership Council of Harvard University’s Center for African Studies. He also serves on the inaugural West Africa Advisory Group of the Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University.

Delle loves the outdoors and trekked Mount Everest in 2013 and summited Kilimanjaro during the summer of 2015.

More profile about the speaker
Sangu Delle | Speaker | TED.com
TEDLagos Ideas Search

Sangu Delle: There's no shame in taking care of your mental health

Sangu Delle: Não tenha vergonha de cuidar da sua saúde mental

Filmed:
2,271,856 views

Quando o estresse foi forte demais para o empreendedor Sangu Delle, ele teve que confrontar seu próprio preconceito de que os homens não devem cuidar de sua saúde mental. Em uma palestra pessoal, Delle compartilha como ele aprendeu a lidar com a ansiedade em uma sociedade que se sente desconfortável com emoções. Como ele disse: "Ser honesto sobre como nos sentimos não nos torna fracos; nos torna humanos".
- Entrepreneur
Sangu Delle is an entrepreneur and clean water activist. A TED Fellow who hails from Ghana, he sees incredible potential in the African economy. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
Last year ...
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O ano passado...
foi um inferno.
00:14
was hell.
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00:16
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
00:20
It was my first time eating
Nigerian "jollof."
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Foi a primeira vez
que comi "jollof" nigeriano.
00:24
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
00:26
Actually, in all seriousness,
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Na verdade, falando sério,
00:29
I was going through a lot
of personal turmoil.
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eu passei por muitas
turbulências pessoais.
00:33
Faced with enormous stress,
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Enfrentando um estresse enorme,
00:35
I suffered an anxiety attack.
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tive um ataque de ansiedade.
00:38
On some days, I could do no work.
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Em alguns dias,
eu não conseguia trabalhar.
00:42
On other days,
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Em outros,
00:44
I just wanted to lay in my bed and cry.
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eu só queria deitar na cama e chorar.
00:48
My doctor asked if I'd like to speak
with a mental health professional
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Meu médico me perguntou
se eu gostaria de falar
com um profissional de saúde mental
00:53
about my stress and anxiety.
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sobre meu estresse e ansiedade.
00:56
Mental health?
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Saúde mental?
00:58
I clammed up and violently
shook my head in protest.
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Eu me fechei e violentamente
sacudi a cabeça em protesto.
01:05
I felt a profound sense of a shame.
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Eu senti uma vergonha profunda.
01:10
I felt the weight of stigma.
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Senti o peso do estigma.
01:15
I have a loving, supportive family
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Tenho uma família amorosa e apoiadora
01:17
and incredibly loyal friends,
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e amigos incrivelmente leais,
01:19
yet I could not entertain
the idea of speaking to anyone
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mas ainda assim não conseguia considerar
a ideia de falar com qualquer pessoa
01:24
about my feeling of pain.
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sobre minha dor.
01:28
I felt suffocated
by the rigid architecture
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Eu me senti sufocado
pela arquitetura rígida
01:32
of our African masculinity.
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de nossa masculinidade africana.
01:35
"People have real problems, Sangu.
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"As pessoas tem problemas reais, Sangu.
01:37
Get over yourself!"
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Controle-se!"
01:40
The first time I heard "mental health,"
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A primeira vez em que ouvi
o termo "saúde mental",
01:43
I was a boarding school student
fresh off the boat from Ghana,
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eu era aluno interno,
recém-chegado de Gana,
01:47
at the Peddie School in New Jersey.
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na Peddie School em New Jersey.
01:51
I had just gone through
the brutal experience
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Eu tinha acabado de passar
pela experiência brutal
01:54
of losing seven loved ones
in the same month.
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de perder muitos entes queridos
em um único mês.
01:58
The school nurse,
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A enfermeira da escola,
02:00
concerned about what I'd gone
through -- God bless her soul --
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que Deus a abençoe, preocupada
com o que eu tinha passado,
02:04
she inquired about my mental health.
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me perguntou sobre minha saúde mental.
02:07
"Is she mental?" I thought.
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"Ela é louca?", eu pensei.
02:10
Does she not know I'm an African man?
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"Ela sabe que sou um homem africano?"
02:12
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
02:13
Like Okonkwo in "Things Fall Apart,"
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Como Okonkwo em "O Mundo se despedaça",
02:15
we African men neither process
nor express our emotions.
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nós, homens africanos, não processamos
nem expressamos nossas emoções.
02:20
We deal with our problems.
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Nós lidamos com nossos problemas.
02:22
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
02:25
We deal with our problems.
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Nós lidamos com nossos problemas.
02:27
I called my brother and laughed
about "Oyibo" people -- white people --
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Liguei para meu irmão e ri
sobre os "oyibo", pessoas brancas,
02:31
and their strange diseases --
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e suas estranhas doenças,
02:33
depression, ADD and those "weird things."
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depressão, TDA
e outras "coisas estranhas".
02:38
Growing up in West Africa,
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Tendo crescido na África Ocidental,
02:40
when people used the term "mental,"
what came to mind was a madman
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quando as pessoas
falavam em "doente mental",
o que me vinha à mente era um homem louco
02:44
with dirty, dread-locked hair,
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com cabelos sujos e desgrenhados,
02:47
bumbling around half-naked on the streets.
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andando seminu pelas ruas.
02:51
We all know this man.
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Todos nós conhecemos esse homem.
02:52
Our parents warned us about him.
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Nossos pais nos alertaram sobre ele.
02:55
"Mommy, mommy, why is he mad?"
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"Mãe, mãe, por que ele é louco?"
02:57
"Drugs!
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"Drogas!
Se você sequer olhar pras drogas,
vai acabar como ele."
02:58
If you even look at drugs,
you end up like him."
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03:01
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
03:02
Come down with pneumonia,
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Pegue uma pneumonia,
e sua mãe vai correr com você
para o hospital mais próximo
03:05
and your mother will rush you
to the nearest hospital
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03:07
for medical treatment.
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para tratamento médico.
03:10
But dare to declare depression,
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Mas ouse falar em depressão,
03:13
and your local pastor
will be driving out demons
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e o pastor local
irá expulsar seus demônios
03:16
and blaming witches in your village.
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e culpar as bruxas da sua aldeia.
03:19
According to the World
Health Organization,
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Conforme a Organização Mundial da Saúde,
03:22
mental health is about being able to cope
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saúde mental diz respeito
a conseguir lidar
03:25
with the normal stressors of life;
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com os fatores de estresse
normais da vida;
03:27
to work productively and fruitfully;
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trabalhar produtiva e lucrativamente;
03:31
and to be able to make
a contribution to your community.
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e contribuir para sua comunidade.
03:35
Mental health includes our emotional,
psychological and social well-being.
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A saúde mental inclui nosso bem-estar
emocional, psicológico e social.
03:42
Globally, 75 percent
of all mental illness cases
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Mundialmente, 75% dos casos
de doença mental
03:47
can be found in low-income countries.
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se encontram em países de baixa renda.
Ainda assim, a maioria
dos governos africanos
03:50
Yet most African governments
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03:52
invest less than one percent
of their health care budget
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investe menos de 1% do orçamento da saúde
03:56
in mental health.
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em saúde mental.
03:58
Even worse,
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E, ainda pior, temos escassez
de psiquiatras na África.
03:59
we have a severe shortage
of psychiatrists in Africa.
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04:04
Nigeria, for example,
is estimated to have 200 --
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Na Nigéria, por exemplo,
estima-se haver 200 psiquiatras,
04:09
in a country of almost 200 million.
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em um país com quase
200 milhões de habitantes.
04:14
In all of Africa,
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Em toda a África,
04:15
90 percent of our people
lack access to treatment.
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90% das pessoas não têm
acesso a tratamento.
04:20
As a result,
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Como resultado disso,
04:22
we suffer in solitude,
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sofremos na solidão,
04:25
silenced by stigma.
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silenciados pelo estigma.
04:29
We as Africans often respond
to mental health with distance,
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Nós, africanos, costumamos reagir
à saúde mental com distância,
04:34
ignorance,
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ignorância,
04:36
guilt,
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culpa,
04:38
fear
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medo
04:39
and anger.
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e raiva.
04:42
In a study conducted by Arboleda-Flórez,
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Em um estudo conduzido
por Arboleda-Flórez,
04:47
directly asking, "What is the cause
of mental illness?"
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que pergunta diretamente:
"Qual a causa da doença mental?",
04:51
34 percent of Nigerian respondents
cited drug misuse;
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34% dos nigerianos que responderam
citaram o uso indevido de drogas;
04:58
19 percent said divine wrath
and the will of God --
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19% citaram a ira e a vontade divina,
05:03
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
05:05
12 percent,
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e 12%,
05:08
witchcraft and spiritual possession.
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feitiçaria e possessão espiritual.
05:11
But few cited other known
causes of mental illness,
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Mas poucos citaram outras causas
conhecidas da doença mental,
05:16
like genetics,
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como genética,
05:18
socioeconomic status,
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situação socioeconômica,
05:20
war,
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guerras,
05:21
conflict
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conflitos
05:23
or the loss of a loved one.
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ou a perda de entes queridos.
05:26
The stigmatization against mental illness
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O estigma contra a doença mental
05:28
often results in the ostracizing
and demonizing of sufferers.
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costuma resultar no ostracismo
e demonização dos portadores.
05:34
Photojournalist Robin Hammond
has documented some of these abuses ...
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O fotojornalista Robin Hammond
documentou alguns desses abusos...
05:38
in Uganda,
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na Uganda,
05:40
in Somalia,
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na Somália,
05:43
and here in Nigeria.
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e aqui na Nigéria.
05:47
For me,
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Para mim,
05:50
the stigma is personal.
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o estigma é pessoal.
05:54
In 2009,
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Em 2009,
05:56
I received a frantic call
in the middle of the night.
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recebi uma ligação frenética
no meio da noite.
06:01
My best friend in the world --
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Meu melhor amigo do mundo,
06:03
a brilliant, philosophical,
charming, hip young man --
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um jovem brilhante, filosófico,
charmoso, descolado,
06:08
was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
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foi diagnosticado com esquizofrenia.
06:12
I witnessed some of the friends
we'd grown up with recoil.
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Presenciei alguns amigos,
com os quais crescemos, se afastarem.
06:19
I heard the snickers.
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Eu ouvi os risos sarcásticos.
06:21
I heard the whispers.
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Eu ouvi os sussurros.
06:24
"Did you hear he has gone mad?"
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"Você soube que ele ficou louco?"
06:27
"He start torch o!"
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(Inglês kru) "Ele pirou!"
06:29
Derogatory, demeaning commentary
about his condition --
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Comentários depreciativos
e humilhantes sobre sua condição,
06:34
words we would never say
about someone with cancer
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palavras que nunca diríamos
sobre alguém com câncer
06:38
or someone with malaria.
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ou com malária.
06:40
Somehow, when it comes to mental illness,
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De alguma forma,
quando se trata de doença mental,
06:44
our ignorance eviscerates all empathy.
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nossa ignorância acaba com toda a empatia.
06:48
I stood by his side
as his community isolated him,
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Fiquei ao seu lado enquanto
a comunidade dele o isolou,
06:54
but our love never wavered.
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mas nosso amor nunca fraquejou.
06:57
Tacitly, I became passionate
about mental health.
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Implicitamente, me tornei
um apaixonado por saúde mental.
07:01
Inspired by his plight,
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Inspirado por seu sofrimento,
07:04
I helped found the mental health
special interest alumni group
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ajudei a fundar o grupo de interesse
em saúde mental com ex-alunos
07:07
at my college.
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da minha faculdade.
07:09
And during my tenure as a resident
tutor in graduate school,
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E enquanto fui tutor na pós-graduação,
07:12
I supported many undergraduates
with their mental health challenges.
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apoiei muitos estudantes
com seus desafios de saúde mental.
07:17
I saw African students struggle
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Vi estudantes africanos sofrendo,
07:19
and unable to speak to anyone.
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incapazes de conversar com alguém.
07:22
Even with this knowledge
and with their stories in tow,
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Mesmo com esse conhecimento
e sabendo das histórias deles,
07:26
I, in turn, struggled,
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eu, por minha vez, relutei
07:28
and could not speak to anyone
when I faced my own anxiety,
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e não consegui falar com ninguém
quando enfrentei minha própria ansiedade,
07:33
so deep is our fear of being the madman.
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tão grande é o medo
de sermos o homem louco.
07:39
All of us --
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Todos nós,
07:41
but we Africans especially --
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mas os africanos em especial,
07:44
need to realize that our mental struggles
do not detract from our virility,
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precisamos perceber
que nossas batalhas mentais
não afetam nossa virilidade,
07:50
nor does our trauma taint our strength.
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e nosso trauma não macula nossa força.
07:54
We need to see mental health
as important as physical health.
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Precisamos ver que a saúde mental
é tão importante quanto a saúde física.
08:00
We need to stop suffering in silence.
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Precisamos parar de sofrer em silêncio.
08:06
We must stop stigmatizing disease
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Precisamos parar de estigmatizar a doença
08:09
and traumatizing the afflicted.
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e traumatizar os afligidos.
08:13
Talk to your friends.
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Fale com seus amigos.
08:16
Talk to your loved ones.
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Fale com seus entes queridos.
08:18
Talk to health professionals.
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Fale com profissionais da saúde.
08:21
Be vulnerable.
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Seja vulnerável.
08:23
Do so with the confidence
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Faça isso com a certeza
08:26
that you are not alone.
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de que você não está sozinho.
08:30
Speak up if you're struggling.
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Fale, se estiver sofrendo.
08:34
Being honest about how we feel
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Ser honesto sobre como nos sentimos
08:38
does not make us weak;
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não nos torna fracos;
08:40
it makes us human.
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nos torna humanos.
08:43
It is time to end the stigma
associated with mental illness.
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Está na hora de acabar com o estigma
associado à doença mental.
08:49
So the next time your hear "mental,"
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Então, da próxima vez
em que ouvir o termo "doente mental",
08:53
do not just think of the madman.
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não pense apenas no homem louco.
08:56
Think of me.
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Pense em mim.
08:57
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
08:59
Thank you.
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Obrigado.
09:01
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Cláudia Sander
Reviewed by Denise Pelusch

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sangu Delle - Entrepreneur
Sangu Delle is an entrepreneur and clean water activist. A TED Fellow who hails from Ghana, he sees incredible potential in the African economy.

Why you should listen

Born in Ghana, Sangu Delle's childhood home was a refuge for victims of torture and violence from neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone. Delle graduated from Harvard College with highest honors in African Studies and Economics. He was awarded the Soros Fellowship and pursued a Juris Doctor of Law and MBA at Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School, respectively.

At Harvard, enrolling in the Social Engagement Initiative program that bridged the academic study and practical service gap, Delle co-founded cleanacwa (formerly the African Development Initiative) in 2007, which today is currently working to bring clean water and sanitation to over 200,000 people in 160 villages in the Ayensuano, Suhum and Nandom districts in Ghana. Delle is also passionate about mental health and wellness, and was a founding member of Harvard University’s Mental Health Alumni Special Interest Group. 

Delle has previously worked at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Valiant Capital Partners. Convinced that the real needs of communities can best be met through entrepreneurship, in 2008 he founded an investment holding company, Golden Palm Investments(GPI) to fund promising start-ups that can have social impact and generate jobs. GPI has backed technology startups such as Andela, Flutterwave and mPharma.  GPI has also built a portfolio of greenfield companies in healthcare, agriculture and financial services. Delle serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GPI.

Delle has received several international accolades including being named a 2016 finalist for “Young CEO of the Year” by the Africa CEO Forum, Africa’s “Young Person of the Year” in 2014 by the Future Africa Awards, selected as a 2014 TEDGlobal Fellow, Forbes’ top 30 most promising entrepreneurs in Africa and Euromoney’s “Africa’s Rising Stars” award. Institut Choiseul and Forbes Afrique named Delle as one of the top “100 Economic Leaders in Africa” in 2015. Mic named Delle as one of 9 entrepreneurs in the millennial generation making a difference. 

Delle is a Trustee of the Peddie School in NJ and serves on the Advisory Board and chairs the Leadership Council of Harvard University’s Center for African Studies. He also serves on the inaugural West Africa Advisory Group of the Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University.

Delle loves the outdoors and trekked Mount Everest in 2013 and summited Kilimanjaro during the summer of 2015.

More profile about the speaker
Sangu Delle | Speaker | TED.com