#Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

[emmynominees]

powers boothe as jim jones in guyana tragedy: the story of jim jones

primetime emmy award winner for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or movie

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (Graham, 1980)

Apparently director William A. Graham had a long career in directing television, and this is very much in a TV movie style, which isn’t a bad thing. The direction is largely functional and in the service of the performances, which is a smart thing to do when you have this many good actors in the cast. Powers Boothe as Jim Jones is appropriately charismatic and intense. He also has some killer style, wearing not just his trademark aviator sunglasses but also an assortment of safari jackets, guayaberas and other warm weather wear. I’m pretty sure “Jim Jones: Fashion Icon” is the wrong thing to take away from this, in my defense I have menswear-blog-induced brain damage. I won’t rattle off every single other cast member in the list, but there is a small but memorable role by James Earl Jones, who steals the movie in his one scene.

One clever thing about this is that the first hour hits the beats of an inspirational biopic. I’m no Jones expert, but after glancing through his Wikipedia page, it does seem like this glosses over some of the more overt red flags from his earlier life. But in framing him and his congregation against the realities of racism in their community, it does allow us to grasp how one could be seduced by Jones and his message. (The one Jones fact that I know for whatever reason is that they didn’t drink Kool Aid but Flavor Aid, a Kool Aid competitor. The movie glosses over this distinction as well, likely because it might invite a lawsuit. “Come my children, it’s time to die. Now drink this reasonably priced Flavor Aid, now in mango and tangerine.”)

The movie breaks from its conventional TV movie style during the sermons, which are shot like documentaries, with unfussy handheld setups. The end of the first half has Jones deliver a fiery sermon, accompanied by a vivid tableaux and multimedia show. And through this verite style, it allows us to grasp what it might be like to be in Jones’ commanding presence and get swept up in his fervour. It’s an effective choice, and one that the movie increasingly returns to in its second half as Jones’ mania escalates and the action moves to Guyana (played by an evocatively humid Puerto Rico). I don’t think the results are as consistently intense as I would have liked, as the movie understandably cuts to Ned Beatty as Congressman Leo J. Ryan looking to investigate the situation at Jonestown. But the climax has an unsettling power, and the final shot before the credits, with the camera closing in on Boothe’s face, is pretty chilling.

[chaptertwo-thepacnw]

powers boothe as jim jones. 1980

[anhed-nia]

I have discovered something fascinating on Tubi, with an extremely high percentage of favorite actors!

[intriguingpeoplebyangelafloyd]

GUYANA TRAGEDY: THE STORY OF JIM JONES (1980)

GUYANA TRAGEDY: THE STORY OF JIM JONES (1980)

You can watch this for free on YouTube

            This is a TV miniseries based on the true story of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple as well as the famous mass suicide/murder at Jonestown that took place in November 1978. This is one of the best screen depictions on the Jim Jones/Jonestown incident. There is supposed to be a new film being made about Jim Jones, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jim Jones; so I’m hoping that still goes ahead.

            The Guyana Tragedy is based on the book by Charles A. Krause which includes eyewitness accounts. The miniseries starts with Jim Jones early life growing up as a religious idealist, he wants to help African-Americans and the poor. Over time Jones becomes narcissistic and greedy, uses tricks and manipulation to gain and keep followers. He becomes addicted to drugs and becomes so paranoid that he moves to himself and his followers to Guyana where he eventualy has his followers commit suicide. The film has a documentary style and is a realistic portrayal. The miniseries was filmed in Puerto Rico and Georgia instead of Guyana.

            The miniseries stars: Powers Boothe who is brilliant as Jim Jones, Ned Beatty as Leo Ryan, James Earl Jones (Darth Vader) as Father Divine, as well as Brad Dourif, Veronica Cartwright, and Diane Ladd.

#guyanatragedythestoryofjimjones #jimjones #guyana #themadmessiah #peoplestemple #powersboothe #leonardodicaprio

[glennk56]

Clifton James in the 1980s

Clifton turned 60yo in 1980.

Clifton James appears as a racist barber in Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones in April 1980.

Clifton James playing a Sheriff in Superman II in Dec. 1980.

Clifton James appeared in 108 episodes of soap opera Texas in 1981 & 1982.

Clifton James in The A Team 1;3 (Pros and Cons) in Feb. 1983.

Clifton James in The A Team 2;12 (The White Ballot) in Dec. 1983.

Clifton James in Kidco in Jan. 1984.

Clifton James in Highway to Heaven 1;5 (Song of the Wild West) Oct. 1984.

Clifton James in Whoops Apocalypse in Nov. 1986.

Clifton James in The Untouchables in June 1987.

Clifton James in Eight Men Out in Sept. 1988.

Clifton James in Murder, She Wrote 5;7 in Dec. 1998.

Clifton James in Danish film Walter & Carlo i Amerika in Nov. 1989.

Clifton James in She-Devil in Dec. 1989.

[exdeputysonso]

Brad Dourif as David Langtree | Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980)

[books-and-cookies]

5 SECOND REVIEW

* the last few chapters of this book were really difficult to read

* idk if you guys know about Jonestown, but in very few words, it was essentially a commune established in Guyana in the 1970s, as an outpost for The Peoples Temple, a religious group (read “cult”), led by Reverent Jim Jones; Its 900+ residents, including Jones, committed mass suicide in November 1978

* if you’ve ever read or heard the phrase “don’t drink the kool-aid”, this is where it originates, as the members drank cyanide laced flavour-aid

* i think one of the saddest things in this whole story is the the Peoples Temple, and Jones himself, really did good in the beginning - they fought against racial and economic inequality, they took to heart the religious teaching of feeding and clothing the poor and Jones himself did a lot of work to made Indianapolis a more integrated, egalitarian city

* his hubris and ambition, however, and his paranoia, further driven by severe drug abuse, ultimately caused his downfall, and unfortunately, he took almost 1000 souls with him 

* this book explores the entire history of both Jones and the cult movement he created, masterfully following in a lot of detail all the events that ultimately led to the tragedy in november 1978

* i’m fascinated by cult mentality and, especially in cases where it ended in tragedy, always strive to understand how educated people get to a point where they’re willingly taking extreme steps to please a leader; in this case, as is with lots of others, the depersonalisation and complete loss of individuality were prevalent - members were expected to live, breathe and work for the cause

* and, if course, it strengthened my belief that man’s god is ultimately, always, greed - whether it’s for money, power, sex, recognition or respect

* 5/5 stars

[lboogie1906]

Irene Cara Escalera (March 18, 1959 – November 25, 2022) was a singer, songwriter, and actress who rose to prominence for her role as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 musical film Fame, and for recording the film's title song "Fame", which reached No. 1 in several countries. In 1983, she co-wrote and sang the song "Flashdance... What a Feeling" (from the film Flashdance), for which she shared an Academy Award for Best Original Song and won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1984. She portrayed the title character Sparkle Williams in the original 1976 musical drama film Sparkle. She appeared in on-and-off-Broadway theatrical shows including the musicals Ain't Misbehavin', The Me Nobody Knows (which won an Obie Award), Maggie Flynn opposite Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy, and Via Galactica with Raúl Juliá. She was the original Daisy Allen on the daytime serial Love of Life. Next came her role as Angela in the romance/thriller Aaron Loves Angela. Television brought her international acclaim for serious dramatic roles in two outstanding mini-series, Roots: The Next Generations and Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones. John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 28, named her one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1976"; that same year, a readers' poll in Right On! magazine named her Top Actress. She graduated from the Professional Children's School in Manhattan. She was born and raised in the Bronx, the youngest of five children. Her father, Gaspar Cara, a steel factory worker and retired saxophonist, and her mother, Louise Escalera, a movie theater usher. She married stuntman and film director Conrad Palmisano (1986-1991). #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp7ehEBrRVH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jandiuiduaudramilyddiariyadison]

Yes, i was 6 or 7 years old. Cbs aired just breaking footage,

of 900 and some dead people, laying face down, arms over each other, very very weird ,very weird, people...remember..they told us that Jim Jones issued cyanide laced drinks.... these were all people laying side by side, face down, two by two, mostly, some in three, a couple of fours, like if you lay down on your stomach next to someone and put your face down and one or both of you put one arm on each other's back ,no, i saw no blood, but the footage was from about 100 feet up, maybe a little less, it was aerial helicopter footage, two seater chopper, not like the news ones, but not like the military ones, how they filmed footage of what the flying helicopter looked like, i do not know, but it was black framed, see through mostly frame, two seater with a fair amount of room behind the pilot and passenger, maybe two feet maybe a bit more... no logos...a very unique black frame t hough, like it was almost like a clear ball with a black frame , a very neat looking helicopter, white helmets, black lines, i can't say they were writing, but like stripes of the military, seemed to be in some kind of pattern. because, through the years, many many things..but if you have read about the guyana tragedy ,you know the story..but do you know that YOU, have to accept that almost 1000 people willingly walked up to drink shit that was going to kill them, very violently and painfully, and that 12 or 15 or so men with guns, allegedly, were able to direct this kind of fiasco, and i do not mean to be insensitive, it is just that is NOT something I can believe. I know people died, I do not believe the account of how they died. The stories from the 7 or 8 survivors are there because those survivors, were not there, they were either not on site, i think two ,initially ran, the others were not there. Laying, side by side, not arranged, there were too many to be arranged after death, they were laying in some kind of pattern, i have to say, in thinking about it. the footage begins, quiet, no sound, kinda flying in from the upper left, down to the right, up towards center, then the audio kicks in and "we are flying over, this is breaking news, Jonestown and there's bodies everywhere" and the camera, handheld by the passenger, kinda fumbles around, you get a shot of shit out the front window of the helicopter, but then it's out of the window and you get a clear shot, and the chopper goes lower to the ground ...pretty good chunk...while moving forward, upper leftish of your screen as you would view it, and then it's just a shit ton of bodies laying there...they do a fly over and a half...then veer off to the left and the camera cut back to the studio news.

[ryotarox]

レオ・ライアン - Wikipedia

レオ・ジョゼフ・ライアン・ジュニア（英語：Leo Joseph Ryan, Jr.、1925年5月5日 - 1978年11月18日）は、アメリカの教師、政治家。1978年にジョーンズタウン事件で暗殺されるまでカリフォルニア州第11選挙区選出の連邦下院議員を務めた。

刑務所改革を行う州議会委員会の委員長の座に着くと、1970年に身分を隠してフォルサム州立刑務所（英語版）に自ら囚人として収監され実態調査を行った。連邦議員時代には、残酷な狩りが行われていると批難されていたアザラシ猟の現地調査のためにカナダのニューファンドランドに自ら訪れた。

1978年、ライアンはジム・ジョーンズ率いるカルト教団の人民寺院が、その意志を無視して信者を不当に拘束しているという訴えの調査のため、彼らが南アメリカのガイアナに入植して築いたジョーンズタウンを訪れた。 調査を終え、帰途につこうとした11月18日、ライアンら代表団は入植地から最寄りの飛行場の滑走路でジョーンズの命令を受けた信者らに襲撃され、暗殺された。その後、教団はジョーンズタウンにおいて900人以上に上る集団自殺を決行した。

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ライアンはジョーンズタウンの集団自殺（ないし殺人）を扱った映画に登場する。1979年の映画『ガイアナ人民寺院の悲劇（英語版）』ではジーン・バリーが[64]、1980年のテレビ用ミニシリーズ『Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones（ガイアナの悲劇：ジム・ジョーンズの物語）』では、ネッド・ビーティが演じた[65]。 ライアン暗殺は、『Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple（ジョーンズタウン：人民寺院の生と死）』（2006年）[66]や、ヒステリーチャンネルの『Cults: Dangerous Devotion（カルト：危険な献身）』[67]、『Jonestown: Paradise Lost（ジョーンズタウン：失われた楽園）』[68]などのドキュメンタリー作品で取り上げられ、また2008年にはライアン暗殺と集団自殺から30周年記念として、MSNBCで『Witness to Jonestown（ジョーンズタウンの証言）』が制作された[69]。 2012年にナショナルジオグラフィックチャンネルの『衝撃の瞬間』ではライアンの暗殺を再現した第6シーズンのエピソード「集団自殺とカルト教団集団」を放映した[70]。

[selfdefensegearco]

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Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People

When I saw this book on the shelf of an op shop near my work I grabbed it. I had long been intrigued and horrified with the tragedy known as Jonestown ever since I saw photos of the hundred of dead bodies in the compound in an old Life magazine I’d bought from a second hand book store. I was in early teens and I remover thinking “how could something like this happen?”.  Author Tim Reiterman Reiterman was one of a handful of journalists who travelled with the Congressman Leo Ryan on a fact-finding mission to Jonestown, Guyana. There had been many pleas and pressure on authorities from concerned families of People’s Temple members finally a contingent headed to the compound. On November 18, 1978, after meeting with Jones and his followers, the small party was ambushed by Peoples Temple gunmen as they were leaving. Leo Ryan and four others were killed. Reiterman himself was wounded and managed to grab the camera of his murdered photographer colleague and snapped the only photos of the aftermath.  Soon after the mass suicide – or mass murders – occurred at the compound with few survivors.   Reiterman spent four years researching and writing this definitive account of Jim Jones and the tragedy called Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People. The book is mammoth – 624-pages and is one to take your time with. It delves deep and is compelling.  The reader will become intrigued by the personal stories of the members of The Peoples Temple, which seemed to start with the best intentions (although Jones appears to have been deeply flawed from a young age) but  turned sinister under the control of the ego-driven and paranoid Jones. For more information on Reiterman’s experience here’s a Time q&a with the author.  I highly recommend this book as the must-read on Jim Jones and how Jonestown came to its terrifying end. 

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Once a month, John Cobb stops by Evergreen Cemetery in East Oakland to check on the Jonestown Memorial. Eleven of his family members are buried there, including his mother and five siblings. He’ll sit on the bench, contemplating those he lost, or get to work wiping away the acorn shells and foxtails on the granite memorial plaques he helped put in place over a decade ago.

The memorial exists to ensure the stories of his loved ones aren’t forgotten. It sits on a half-moon-shaped hill in the cemetery, which is located just below MacArthur Boulevard between 64th and 68th avenues, overlooking the Coliseum in the distance. The memorial is remarkably humble — four plaques with 918 engraved names of the Peoples Temple members who died 45 years ago  — and belies how big Jonestown has loomed in the collective imagination. 

Cobb lives near the memorial and now runs a furniture business. But when the Jonestown tragedy happened, he was 18 years old and part of Jim Jones’ personal security detail in Guyana. Jones started Peoples Temple church in the 1950s, first in Indiana then San Francisco, championing racial equality during a time of overt segregation. It ended with him using drugs, paranoid in a “promised land” he called Jonestown in the interior jungle of Guyana, where he forced death on members via poisoned Flavor Aid and gunshot. Over a third were under the age of 18.  

When Cobb is at the memorial, reading the names, his memories are nothing like the horrific images from Guyana that flooded the media in the days that followed. What he sees are ordinary moments of ordinary people: Sharon “Tobi” Stone, who said little but hit that cowbell hard in Cobb’s R&B band, Black Velvet; Free movie tickets for the kids in the hands of Patty Cartmell, who could talk her way into anything; Marceline Jones’s love of burnt toast. 

[leaarong]

Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980) Powers Booth James Earl Jones

[hardynwa]

Suicide: Mental illness, depression, religion behind upsurge – Psychologist

The recent revelation by the Director, Federal Neuropsychiatrist Hospital, Enugu, Prof. Monday Igwe, that at least one person commits suicide every 40 seconds around the world as a result of mental challenges aptly explains the upsurge in cases of suicide in Nigeria. Igwe’s disclosure at a seminar by the Amaudo Integrated Community Mental Health Foundation organised for media practitioners in Abia State, has opened a new chapter of discussion. The seminar was not only aimed at raising awareness about mental health of Nigerians, but it was also an opportunity to draw the attention of governments at all levels to the challenges of people living with mental illness. He regretted that cases of mental illness were increasing in the society as a result of stress, tobacco abuse, alcoholism, cocaine, tramadol and caffeine abuse, among others. He also condemned the attitude of many Nigerians to persons with mental challenges, which ranges from discrimination, sexual abuse, extortion to exploitation. The combined effects of these factors have always resulted in suicide. For some time now, cases of suicide have become commonplace occurrence in Nigeria such that from north to south, east to west, the story is the same. People of different social classes, ranging from the poor, the rich to the educated, the semi-illiterates, the illiterates, the employed and the unemployed, are all involved in the scourge. In the last two months, many Nigerians have attempted or actually committed suicide, although quite a number of them are unreported. As abominable as the act of suicide is, the scourge appears to be on the increase almost on a daily basis. Apart from the popular Guyana tragedy, where about 900 persons allegedly committed suicide on the advice of their leader, Jim Jones, people are believed to go for suicide option when they are totally depressed and hopeless. Jim Jones, also known as ‘The Mad Messiah,’ led a congregation called the People’s Temple cult. He told his followers that there was nothing to live for again on earth and that they should commit suicide and go to heaven. They all killed themselves by drinking a poisonous substance. He also drank the substance and died eventually. On Wednesday, June 14, a 100-level student of the Department of Entrepreneur, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Salako Treasure, reportedly killed herself by consuming a substance suspected to be sniper. She was found dead inside an uncompleted building around the Lagere area of the town on Wednesday evening with a bottle of sniper next to her body. Checks revealed she had been undergoing some emotional trauma known to some of her friends and acquaintances before the tragic incident. The University’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, described the incident as unfortunate, saying, “It is very unfortunate that we have lost a part one student, a promising young lady to what was alleged to be suicide. “Although it happened outside the campus, we are not happy that we could lose such a person under such circumstances. The University, under the administration of the vice-chancellor, Professor Simeon Bamire, is concerned that a student of that tender age could resort to such a thing. “We appeal to Nigerians to be their brothers’ keepers. The filler we are getting is that she has suffered depression and people around her knew about it. They ought to have referred her to someone elderly or someone who could be of help to her on psycho-emotional issues. We sympathise with ourselves, especially the parents who lost a young lady with a bright future. I want to admonish that this world is filled with ups and downs. “Emotional, psychological and academic frustrations should not make anyone resort to taking his or her life. Her remains have been evacuated and we have involved the police.” On Saturday, June 10, a female officer of the Nigerian Air Force simply identified as George, committed suicide in her house at Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja, Lagos State. Before her death, she was a Master Warrant Officer working at 651 Base Services Group. According to the military signal, “Master Warrant Officer George, a female personnel of the Nigerian Air Force, serving at 651 Base Services Group, resident at block T5, Flat 8, in Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja, reported to have committed suicide inside her room at about 1400hrs on June 10, 2023. Efforts are ongoing by the 3 Air Provost to evacuate her to 661NAFH, while further investigation will continue. This is for your awareness. My people, depression is real. Please do not allow 9ija Wahala to lead you to an early grave.” Also on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, a 30-year-old photographer, Usman Goga, was reported to have allegedly hanged himself inside his bedroom in Babura Local Government Area, Jigawa State. The incident, according to the report, happened just four months after Goga’s marriage. His lifeless body was discovered by his wife when she returned home from a visit to her relatives. According to the spokesman of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Adamu Shehu, “Investigation into the incident revealed that a bedside drawer was used on top of a 6′ by 6′ sized bed to reach the ceiling, where the hook was fixed, and the rope tied to it. The bedside drawer was then pushed off possibly with legs to dislodge or rather suspend the body from the hook. “Close associates of the deceased disclosed that he had an inherent mental disorder that turned up occasionally. He married his wife about four months ago and was living happily with his wife until the unfortunate incident. Further Investigation is ongoing.” On May 19, a former Battalion Commanding Officer who led the fight against Boko Haram in the North East, Major U.J Undianyede, was also reported to have committed suicide. He was alleged to have killed himself less than 72 hours before the verdict of a court-martial trying him for alleged military infractions during the war. However, there is also a report that no fewer than 79 people, comprising 70 males and 9 females committed suicide in Nigeria in 2022 alone. This number included only the reported cases; so many cases of suicide in 2022 were not reported. According to a breakdown of the report, Lagos State recorded the highest with 12 suicide cases. It was followed by Oyo State – 10; Kano State- four; Anambra State – three; Edo State – three; Delta State – three; Ogun State- three; and Rivers State- three. Others included Borno, Bayelsa, Abia, Benue, Imo, Enugu, Niger, Jos, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kwara States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja with two cases each. Ondo, Osun, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Gombe, Cross-River, Kogi, Adamawa, Ekiti, Bauchi, and Yobe States had one case each. Some Nigerians have attributed the cause of suicide to spiritual factor. Those who hold this view believe that most people who commit suicide are constantly persuaded by an imaginary voice within them to end it all. There are claims that some people who have had the courage to confide in some people about these strange voices have managed to survive, but those who tried to bear the torments silently have always taken to suicide. There are those who argued that suicide could also take the form of extreme egotism and selfishness, in which case people who cannot accept defeat or those that cannot bear the thought of other people being better than them, as well as those that are hungry for public adulation and adoration, become prone to suicide. However, there are those who believe that most of the suicide cases have psychological dimension. One of the proponents of this view is Dr. Leonard Okonkwo, a Consultant Psychologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, who insisted that depression remains the major cause of suicide. He explained that man is naturally driven by a principle that makes him seek pleasure and avoid pain. “So, when man begins to seek the opposite, like seeking death, then it becomes abnormal. And that is to say that suicide is not an accident but a deliberate act by an individual to terminate own life, which runs contrary to what man is driven by; that is the love of pleasure and avoidance of pain. So, it is abnormal,” he said. So, why do people commit suicide? Okonkwo identified hopelessness and an intense psychological pain associated with the experience as the main reason behind suicide. “At that point, the person feels that the only way out of the pain is death and they go ahead to take their own life,” he added. Okonkwo cited the three dimensional approach to suicide as canvassed by a renowned Psychiatrist, Carl Meninger, to drive home his point. “There is a sense of hate or vengeance, where there is a desire to kill. There is a sense of depression and hopelessness, where there is a desire to die and there is also a sense of guilt which is a desire to be killed. So, it is an interrelationship among the three dimensions that eventually lead up to suicide,” he stated. He also tried to distinguish between a suicide and a deliberate self-harm, which according to him could lead to suicide. He said: “There is a difference between suicide and deliberate self-harm. In suicide, the three dimensions are there, but in deliberate self-harm, the person involved does not really want to die; he only wants to draw attention to himself. “So, he deliberately harms himself to draw attention. There may be suicide note and all that, but the real intent is to draw attention and not to kill self. “But, sometimes, deliberate self-harm could become suicide when it is overdone. Not all suicides are actually meant to kill; some of them are deliberate self-harm that got out of hand.” Although, he believes depression is the major cause of suicide, mental illnesses are equally not left out. He described mental illness as a form of depression, even though some mental illnesses are not part of depression, but constitute very powerful causes of suicide. He said depression could equally come in the form of physical pains experienced as a result of protracted illness. “For instance, someone who is experiencing physical pain as a result of illness may feel tired of the illness and wants to commit suicide. He may desire euthanasia (mercy killing), but when nobody is ready to offer that assistance, the person just takes an overdose of drugs and kills himself. “People can also commit suicide when they have a failed relationship, which is also a case of depression resulting to hopelessness. “When people are isolated or ostracised in a community, they also tend to commit suicide. And the society will say the gods have killed the person, but the fact is that it is the isolation or ostracism that has led to depression and consequently hopelessness, which made the person to feel that the only way out was suicide,” he said. Religion is also a strong factor that could lead to suicide. Using the Guyana tragedy and Boko Haram Islamist sect as examples. Okonkwo said: “Religion is another reason people commit suicide, especially when they are given command by their leaders to do so. “For instance, the Guyana tragedy, which happened when Jim Jones led his congregation of about 900 people to commit suicide, is a good example of religious suicide. He told them that they would go to heaven when they died as the world was not worthy for them to live in. It is the same thing with the Boko Haram suicide bombers. They are also brainwashed to believe that they would go to heaven, where they would be married to virgins if they killed themselves fighting religious war.” The psychologist also traced suicide to genes when he said: “It is also known that suicide may be more common in some tribes or there may be some biological link. But, that link may also be associated with mental illness because mental illness also has biological or genetic link. “People who are prone to depression, and as a result, have committed suicide in the past may pass the same trait down to the next generation. “In order words, if somebody has committed suicide in a particular family due to depression, there is every tendency that a descendant of that family in future generation could suffer depression and commit suicide. So, it seems to have little genetic implication just like it is in mental illness.” He looked at the role of urbanization in suicide. He believes that the western life styles, occasioned by urbanization, has broken down the traditional social support, thereby leaving the frustrated with no choice but suicide, especially when the individual concerned does not want to go into crime. He submitted that following the economic hardship ravaging many Nigerians at the moment, coupled with the religious and political factors as earlier stated, there is every possibility that more people would still choose suicide as a way out of the ugly situation. He called on the government to take urgent drastic measures to alleviate people’s suffering as a way of reversing the ugly trend. “The government can achieve this by providing social security safety nets and improving the economy through massive job creation and other measures,” he said. Read the full article

[rebeleden]

Watch "CBS Network - "Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones" (Complete Broadcast - 2 Parts, 4/1980) 📺" on YouTube