Gender activist Esther Armah has begun a project on African men and masculinity today Tuesday November 19, which also happens to be International Men’s Day.
The project is dubbed ‘#IAmUNLEARNING’.
#IAmUNLEARNING is in its first year of a three-year annual project that engages men to explore and exchange on issues of masculinity, power, love, loss and violence. It takes place on 19th November each year.
For this first year, the project has produced a video featuring men revealing their experiences and lessons by answering questions and sharing their thoughts on power, women, respect, love, and being witness to gender violence, changing their attitudes to power and unlearning silence. The #IAmUNLEARNING project is led by EAA Media Productions in partnership with academic Eli Tetteh and organizations White Ribbon Ghana and The Safe Space Foundation.
Below is a statement by the project managers EAA Media Productions
#IAmUNLEARNING What Kind of Man Are You? a national project on African men and masculinity INTERNATIONAL MEN’S DAY 19th NOVEMBER 2019 What kind of man are you? Who taught you to be a man, about power, about sex? How did that teaching shape you, and your attitude to your body, to girls and women and to our bodies? How would you, your brothers, male colleagues, men friends, fathers, sons, husbands, boyfriends answer these questions: what did you learn about being a man? What do you need to unlearn to become a better man? How would that unlearning change or shape your behaviours? Such questions are too rarely asked of African men.
A ground-breaking project, #IAmUNLEARNING takes place on Tuesday 19th November International Men’s Day, and will be asking those questions and more of African men. #IAmUNLEARNING is in its first year of a three-year annual project that engages men to explore and exchange on issues of masculinity, power, love, loss and violence. It takes place on 19th November each year. For this first year, the project has produced a video featuring men revealing their experiences and lessons by answering questions and sharing their thoughts on power, women, respect, love, and being witness to gender violence, changing their attitudes to power and unlearning silence.
The #IAmUNLEARNING project is led by EAA Media Productions in partnership with academic Eli Tetteh and organizations White Ribbon Ghana and The Safe Space Foundation. Esther Armah, Director of EAA Media Productions said this about the project: “Changing society means changing people. And you cannot change what you do not examine. Violence in our country is a major issue. Too many boys who become men learn ideas, lessons and witness experiences that make violence normal. How do they unlearn that? This project aims to engage men to examine what they learn, and invites them to unlearn what doesn’t serve them, their families, their community, society – or our nation.
In Africa, we need a new conversation about masculinity – this is our way to actively create a conversation and to initiate change” Eugenia Baffour-Bankoh, Founder The Safe Space Foundation explains: “I believe if we begin to involve and include men and boys in dialogue, we can develop a society that’s beneficial to all genders” Derick Botsyoe, Co-Ordinator, White Ribbon Ghana “The project serves as a starting point for other men to embrace the need for positive change on issues of masculinity.” 19th November is International Men’s Day. It began in 1991, and is celebrated in more than 80 countries. It has 6 pillars. They include men and boy’s health, promoting Gender Equality, highlighting male role models and elevating humanitarian approaches to life. In 2009, the Ghana Fatherhood Initiative Foundation held an event on fatherhood and engaging children to read more. #IAmUNLEARNING engages this day to launch this project creating fresh focus on African masculinity with African men
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
