Jimmy Gait is one of the most trolled artists in Kenya. The gospel singer, in a long post reveal that 2017 was one of his worst years in the music business.
Here’s what he said:
“In 2017 I was a victim of cyberbullying after I did a cover of the song Hello by Adelle. I did the song from a very positive place in heart, then released the song on YouTube.
“Early the next morning, I received a call from Larry Madowo, the then host of the Trend, from NTV asking me to give him an exclusive interview since I was trending at number one on Twitter because of the song! To my surprise, I was receiving insults and so much hate that I could not even comprehend.
“My world had come crashing down, and I felt people were unfair to me, and this one that they didn’t seem to agree with made them forget all the music I had previously produced,” he said.
He continued,
“I felt like the whole world was against me, I felt alone and dejected. This had severe impact on me and led me to depression, loss of confidence and loss of appetite. I locked myself in the house for two weeks and could not be able to face anyone as I felt like everyone disliked me and knew how low my mood was.”
“After talking to some people close to me, I gathered some courage, and with a strong positive attitude, I was back up on my feet again, got to the studio and released another song which you now know as ‘Yesu Ndie Sponsor’. This song was received with a lot of ridicule, and people said I blasphemed God by calling Him sponsor, going by the understanding of the word sponsor in the Kenyan social circles. So many memes were created and circulated online with my photo and ridiculing messages. This is when I decided to quit music!”
The experience led to a great loss on my part: cancellation of performances, endorsements and friends, mostly due to my dented public image. Of course, given that I wasn’t earning a living, I incurred major debts, and worse, affected me emotionally, spiritually and socially! It was a dark season for me!
With God’s help, I was able to rise up again from my misery and recovered in every aspect of my life, became even stronger through the support of family, friends, counselors and investors.
This experience did not leave me the same!”
“When I was stable again, I reflected on the experience and decided to pay close attention to the issue of cyberbullying and my discovery was quite shocking!
Every child has a right to dignity and safety. However, with the rapid increase in internet access and connectivity, it has resulted to abuse of children through cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and harassment, most of which go unreported. Children are usually vulnerable to internet abuse, as they are exposed to psychological and emotional violence. This leads to mental depression, attempted suicides and tragic deaths through suicide and attempted suicides.”
“Hence, the Hisiah Campaign conceptualizes a coordinated initiative that brings together actors from the Government, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Academia, Private Sector, Judiciary, Religious and even Political leadership, to build on ongoing conversations on cyber-bullying and accelerate action to make it count for children and the society at large. It envisions children, young people, their parents, caregivers and communities to be key players in innovative ways that reduce risks and create safety in use of technology which has become part of their lives, learning, communication, play and work when they are of age.”
