By Emefa Yawa Ocloo
There have been lots of discussions about how some men and women seem to be manipulated in their marriages and relationships. With either Women or Men allegedly being on the fair or unfair benefiting end of the resultant outcomes of the fallouts, especially in the event of failing or failed marriages or relationships.
Now, some questions that are asked are, how did we get here? And how should men prepare themselves for hiccups like this? As it is alleged that most African men seem to be cowed into submission and compliance to the whims and caprices of their female counterparts whenever these relationships fall out. However true or untrue this is, let us dive into the Minds of the African man. What it is… and what it should be.
In this series: Outlining the mindset of the African Man. We had an interview with Ms. Emefa Ocloo, Founder of CODE Counseling; An advocate for Men’s Mental Health and the Rights of Men. The discussion was centered around the mindset of the African Man and its relation to the African family setting. In this discussion series… we look into the past, the now, and the expectations for the future African Man.
In her words “We know the African man to be “dominant”, “assertive” and “be strong” and also being the breadwinner, the protector and also plays the leadership role in the African family dynamic. When we say dominant, we mean being assertive and strong; there’s some sort of authority that the African man brings into the home, where order is created. A “Man” was created to bring some sort of order and sanity in the home to prevent conflicts and chaos. And by being a breadwinner, leader and protector; people tend to misunderstand the responsibility of a leader. People think being a leader is one who just dishes out orders. But this is not so, a leader leads by example. So basically, the typical African man is one who leads by being an example. Those are the Traditional responsibilities of an African man.”
See more details of this interview in our upcoming Weekly Newsletter…
