Sanaa ni Dawa: Healing through Art and Expressive Therapy | Nyanzula Nangale | TEDxZanzibar

What if the answer to your deepest emotional pain isn't in a prescription, but in a paintbrush, a song, or a sketch? The speaker asks how many of us have carried heartbreak and burnout while "still kept smiling and showing up like everything was okay", feeling disconnected and "hollow inside". Nyanzula Nangale shares her own journey through a year of internal turmoil where nothing could ease her sorrows until a forgotten childhood drawing certificate led her to paint again in adulthood. She found that only art "spoke my soul's language". This realization spurred her to pursue studies in mental health, where she learned that art connects, inspires, and empowers those recovering from mental health conditions. With 7 million people in Tanzania alone living with mental health disorders, and 85% of Africans needing mental health care never receiving it, this revelation is vital.

She highlights this as Sanaa ni Dawa—Swahili for 'art is medicine'. She is helping the community deal with mental health issues through art. She has witnessed people "express their emotions, release their pain and stresses in the most magical way". She argues that our ancestors understood this long ago; Makonde carvings eased grief, and the war songs of the Hehe and Ngoni tribes provided emotional release after loss. The speaker emphasizes that you don't need a "creative gene" to heal. In an age of technology, she reminds us that the most important tool for healing is the "human creativity" we are all born with. She invites you to ask three simple questions to open the door to your own healing: "What pain can art help you release?" Watch now to discover how to awaken the healing power of art in your daily life.
Nyanzula Monica Nangale is a Tanzanian abstract artist, author, and wellness advocate whose work bridges creativity, spirituality, and African identity. Her art, rooted in symbolism and ancestral philosophy, reflects themes of motherhood, transformation, and liberation. She has exhibited her Art works at galleries and is the Co-Founder and Director at DIMA Space Africa, a creative agency based in Dar es salaam. Her debut book, Finding the Meaning of Life, available now in bookstores across Tanzania, explores personal development, mental health themes, Ubuntu, spirituality, healing, identity, and reclaiming indigenous practices for modern living.
Beyond her art practice, Nyanzula is the founder of Healthy Minds Tanzania, an NGO that promotes mental wellness through creative expression. With over 10 years of professional experience in Corporate banking, Nyanzula bridges the worlds of art, wellness, business and leadership. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx