Stellenbosch University’s (SU) mental health task team, SUpport, hosted the Silver Lining Festival on 10 May to raise funds for the new texting app, SUNLine.
The app can be used by SU students to send anonymous texts and receive help when dealing with mental health issues.
The music concert/festival, which took place in the Stellenbosch Town Hall, was also a tribute to the late American rapper Mac Miller, who overdosed on drugs in 2018 following a long battle with mental health problems.
Rapper Shane Eagle doing a tribute to Mac Miller with the crowd holding their flashlights up in honor of the late American rapper PHOTO: Lucian van Wyk
Melt Hugo (25), the SRC Student Wellness officer and head of the SUpport mental health task team, says the main reason behind the event was not only to create awareness around mental health but also to raise funds.
“The event was created to raise funds for the app called ‘SUNLine’, because app design, app development and app testing is a lot of money. It’s also to create a sustainable app because we want it to be on the app store, and to have it on there you have to pay yearly subscriptions,” says Hugo.
Larissa Bekker (20), one of the designers involved with the SUNLine app, says that the idea with the app was to “make it something fun and engaging, not having a stigma attached to it so that it’s something that everyone wants to download.”
Magnifique, an events company created by former SU student Dane Hong and Sebastian Kuhne, was one of the main sponsors of the festival.
Hong says the company got involved in the event because creating awareness about mental health is vital.
“We all go through it. It doesn’t discriminate against gender, class or race,” says Hong.
The headlining acts were South African rapper Shane Eagle, and Patrick Lee, a Zambian rapper.
Rapper Patrick Lee on stage entertaining the crowd PHOTO: Lucian van Wyk
Hong states that the artists that were chosen for the event were those personally affected by mental health problems.
“We did our research and we found interviews of Shane Eagle, as well as Patrick Lee, talking about their depression, so it just made sense for us to get these people that are actually behind the cause. It’s really close to their hearts, they’re not just doing the event to get paid,” says Hong.
The event’s fabric armbands had the SADAG’s (South African Depression and Anxiety Group) 24-hour helpline printed on it, sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Cipla.
The Silver Lining Festival’s fabric armbands containing SADAG’s 24-hour helpline PHOTO: Lucian van Wyk
According to Cipla’s marketing manager Wouter Lombard, the purpose of creating awareness around mental health is defeated if people don’t know where they can go for help.
“We wanted to make sure when we got involved that people knew where to get help, specifically those who don’t have the resources such as medical aid. SADAG has certain contacts, so they can refer you to the right registered medical professionals,” says Lombard.
According to Hugo, they hope to launch the app as soon as possible.
“Considering the design process, the coding process and the bureaucracy behind all of that, it’s in our best interest to have it as soon as possible, but we also don’t want to release something we are not proud of and that we’re not satisfied with.”
The Silver Lining Festival goers dancing to the stellar line up PHOTO: Lucian van Wyk