The Youth Café is excited to announce our participation in the Africa Boy Child Forum, organized by Unscripted Concepts. The event will take place on the 24th of June 2021 at the Kenya National Theatre. The theme is “The myth of male power, Leading while Bleeding”.
Over the years, analysts from a range of disciplines have studied the flexibility of masculinity around the world to reveal how toxic masculinity formulations continue to arise and resurface in various morphed forms.
They have shown both the strengths and shortcomings of masculinity by illuminating alternate masculine subject roles that can, in turn, point us in the direction of more equitable and just forms of being men and women in the worlds we inhabit. The majority of this research was inspired by the surge of HIV/AIDS in Africa, where gender roles and gender power inequalities are prominent.
Numerous researchers and writers have observed that while the patriarchy is disproportionately perilous for women and girls, it can also be incredibly detrimental for men and boys. Over the last decade, this has resulted in a significant change in the exploratory gaze toward recognizing masculinity as a notion that is underpinned by discourses and material conditions that reproduce patriarchal, sexist, and heteronormative social conditions, and that directly serve as the framework for a variety of psychosocial problems such as aggression and unsafe sexual practices.
At The Youth Café, we try to dive deeper and strive to understand the more nuanced image of the dynamics of masculinity’s social construct as we hear the conflicting accounts of experiences from young boys and men. We try to empower young people, inclusive of all genders and seek to comprehend the complex societal pressures and circumstances that young men face as they strive to build masculine identities.
We aim to develop strategies that seek to motivate young men to cultivate non-violent, non-abusive, less dangerous versions of masculinity in favor of more life enhancing ideas to benefit Africa as a whole. We believe very deeply in the potential of young people as change makers when given the opportunity.
We work to provide these opportunities to marginalized populations to enhance their skills and build a more fruitful future. Recognizing that such obstinate forms of masculinity are detrimental to both men and women broadens the scope of political and ideological programs aimed at women's empowerment.
This is why we have partnered with The African Boy Child forum to help shed some light on the toxic orthodox practices and expectations of the young boys and men in Kenya and around Africa. It is vital for us to support young boys as they face various challenges on their journey to build a life centered around more affirming versions of masculinity.
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