This capstone presents a biosocial perspective on mental health stigma in African contexts and its diasporic echoes. By approaching menta health as shaped by the interplay of cultural narratives, historical trauma, and structural inequality, the paper investigates the persistence of stigma and the inaccessibility of care across the continent. Through comparative analysis and a review of existing interventions, it reveals how mental health remains deprioritized due to both inherited colonial systems and contemporary neglect. Spiritual interpretations of mental illness and moral framings contribute to widespread stigma, often deterring individuals from seeking clinical care. Drawing on foundational theories from soccial medicine and medical anthropology, this paper argues that stigma functions not merely as a social attitude but as a system that benefits from silence and invisibility. It calls for an expansion of mental health strategies to include culturally rooted, creative approaches. Specifically, this project explores the use of digital storytelling as an intervention and methodology. Through short-form videos, flash fiction, and narrative media tailored to younger audiences, the project aims to humanize mental illness, foster empathy, and challenge stigma where formal systems have fallen short. Ultimately, this capstone advocates for interventions that center both individual and collective healing and for narrative to be used not only to inform but to transform.
