An Interview with Dr. Ambrose Cato George
NOVELTY FICTION – Your recently published book “Against All Odds: A Memoir” describes how, during your university studies, you became a young political activist against the apartheid regime. Did your family know about this at the time, and how would they react to their son getting involved in something so dangerous and controversial?
AMBROSE CATO GEORGE – My family didn’t know about it. I never discussed this kind of political involvement with my parents. I was basically afraid that they would not agree with my involvement in subversive politics. So deep were my political convictions that I was prepared to offer my life for the liberation struggle. When the organisation was infiltrated by the Special Branch, I consoled myself that whatever happened, I would be prepared even if necessary to spend a long time in prison.
NOVELTY FICTION – Do you view your activism as being compatible or incompatible with your Christian values and beliefs?
AMBROSE CATO GEORGE – No, it wasn’t compatible with my inherent Christian beliefs. I took an about-turn and became an ardent exponent of atheism, which lasted for a long time.
NOVELTY FICTION – As described in the book, you received substantial support from friends, family and professionals to cope with your depressive mental disorder. At some point, you chose to help others who suffer from mental health issues. By helping them, did you also help yourself? Would life have been easier for you if you had focused solely on your own mental health problems?
AMBROSE CATO GEORGE – Certainly not. From a very early age, twenty, although I suffered from severe bouts of suicidal depression, it only made me more aware of committing my life in whatever way possible to help other depression sufferers. It was the prime motivator for establishing a Depression and Stress Support Group in my area of residence. This enabled me to prepare a wide-ranging package into all aspects of what came to me as the devastating effect of an illness like depression.
NOVELTY FICTION – As described in your book, you have covered much ground – political activist, scholar, teacher, headmaster, mental health volunteer, religious thinker, family man. How did you manage to fulfill all these responsibilities? How could you deal with the pressure?
AMBROSE CATO GEORGE – Throughout my sixty years of suffering from depression, I managed to overcome the negative aspects of the illness by introducing a regular routine of physical exercise such as walking, swimming and other such physical exercise. As soon as I was diagnosed with suicidal depression, I was placed on a wide range of medication which included anti-depressants, mood stabilisers, tranquilisers and sleeping medication. From the onset of the diagnosis of my illness at age twenty in 1965, I took the medication religiously from Day One up to the present day. This was very difficult. However, I was so disciplined to stick to a religious routine of taking my medication at regular intervals.
I have had to live with the side effects of taking psychotropic medication over a period of sixty years. I must point out that this was one of the main factors which enabled me to cope with my illness over such a long period.
NOVELTY FICTION – Your memoir briefly describes how you traveled around Western Europe while studying in Great Britain as a young man. What were your impressions of these European countries and their people?
AMBROSE CATO GEORGE – As a young man throughout my periods of education, I was deeply impressed with the advancement made in science and technology in the European countries. I was deeply touched by the impressive mode of preservation in the large number of museums and places of interest that I visited in cities like Paris, Brussels, Frankfurt, Cologne, Florence, the Vatican and Rome. Central to my experiences over a period of almost a year, I was immensely touched and moved by the historical, cosmopolitan and cultural aspects in London. I was deeply influenced by my relationships with students from all parts of the globe. I visited a number of special schools, colleges and universities, which made a deep imprint on my mind. I was touched by my visits to special schools that were attended by brain damaged or spastic pupils. I became deeply aware of how damage to the brain through drugs and alcohol affects a very high level of persons all over the world.
NOVELTY FICTION – Here in early 2024, what is life and writing like for you?
AMBROSE CATO GEORGE – It is very, very encouraging at this stage of my life, looking back over a period of eighty years, that there are many gaps in my knowledge which I now feel free to write about.
© 2024 by Novelty Fiction.
