Karen Eloke Young was born on October 12, 1986 in Edo state, Benin City. She completed her secondary education in Baptist Girls College, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta and went on to obtain a bachelors degree in international studies and diplomacy from the university of Benin, Nigeria. In 2007, she won the prestigious Miss Delta state pageant and reigned as Queen for two years. Her love for writing and creative arts soon nudged her towards journalism which she excelled in and it soon became one of her foremost her passions. She is also author the fiction novel titled “The Book About Nothing” and co-author of the informative coffee table book titled “luxury hotels in West Africa”.
In the course of her career as a journalist, Karen became keenly aware of the inequality and bias that women living in Nigeria had been enduring for centuries and this injustice coupled with her personal experiences soon made her one of the youngest activists for female rights in Nigeria. In her articles and daily life Karen constantly spoke out against the prejudice and discrimination suffered by women in her homeland and has continued in this vein ever since.
In 2012 she suffered a personal tragedy which forced her on the painful journey of depression. But being a fighter she was able to overcome this illness and in 2016 found the strength and courage to share her story with the world. Her experience made her acutely aware of the stigma that the illness depression holds in Nigeria and how the society at large viewed this disease. Being one who has always been an advocate for positive change and women empowerment her goal is to revolutionalise women’s position in this part of the world and raise them to the heights they deserve.
Growing up for Karen was a bit of a rough one “My parents got separated when I was three years old so I never really knew my dad. And then, I had to go live with my grandmother when I was five up until secondary school. In a way I had an okay childhood but it was marred by some experiences. Although I would say that every experience I had growing up has given me remarkable strength and has shaped me into the woman I am today.” She says.
Winning Miss Delta State pageant was an amazing experience for Karen. In her words, “I could barely control my excitement when I was crowned queen. Well, except for the organizers of the pageant and some people in the state. For instance, I never got the prizes I was promised, I got absolutely nothing, but in hindsight, I believe everything happened for a reason, and I’m still happy and proud that I was once the queen of my state of origin.”
Karen had a personal experience that led her to start the crusade against women discrimination. She says “someone tried to assault me sexually and the subsequent events that transpired afterwards made me so intensely aware of how unfairly women are treated in this part of the world. The powerlessness I felt and the blame that was heaped on me as the victim was something that shook me to my core. And I knew I couldn’t keep quiet anymore, I had to speak out and fight for a change.” Says Karen.
Yes she was depressed but she triumphed. Hear her tell the story “My depression caught me unawares, I didn’t know that I had so much bottled up inside until I got into a relationship with a physically and mentally abusive man. The emotional and physical torture I faced triggered memories of the abuse I had suffered as a child. It was all just too much, I began to slide into depression and the more I tried to reach out to most of the people close to me, the more I was shunned. I felt so alone and unloved, I felt like I had nothing to live for. But thanks to God and also some enlightenment on modern science, I was disentangled. I am glad now that my triumph over depression is serving as an inspiration to many suffering from this disease”
“Speaking out about my battle with depression and giving people an avenue to contact me gave a lot of people the courage to open up about their suffering. Every day I get hundreds of emails from different people suffering from depression and I give them counsel. I am also building my platform called “African Women Rising” to help and counsel people suffering from depression, domestic abuse and so on. I intend to do more still as time progresses.” Karen tells me.
For Karen, Nigerians stigmatise those who are being depressed and she has this to say “It’s sad but the stigma that people who suffer from depression face is immense. Most Nigerians have this mentality that depression is a white man’s disease which is so far from the truth it is ridiculous. I endured a lot of stigma, I lost a job opportunity because of this, I was evicted from my apartment unfairly because my landlord said he didn’t want a suicidal person in his house, I lost so many people I cared for who reacted to my depression like it was a contagious disease. So, Yes! The stigmatization is immense.”
She however advices “My advice is that Nigerians should educate themselves about this disease, this is very important. Proper awareness of what depression really is will go a long way to change the mindset of the people and save lives. Secondly, we all need to make an effort to be kind, especially to those battling all kinds of demons. A caring shoulder and a genuinely listening ear goes a long way.”
KEMI AJUMOBI
