Story by Lisa Masuku-Kurira
THE National Aids Council (NAC) is intensifying men’s health programmes aimed at breaking stigma, encouraging openness and promoting positive masculinity, as part of broader efforts to strengthen community health and social cohesion.
This follows the hosting of a male engagement programme in Bulawayo, an initiative designed to revisit and contextualise traditional concepts that historically guided men on health, sexuality and responsible leadership within families and communities.
Bulawayo NAC Programmes Officer, Mr Douglas Moyo, said the initiative seeks to revive constructive cultural platforms that have gradually diminished over time.
“Now men are staying away from their Chiefs where initiation ceremonies were held. It was not just initiation, they were taught a lot about how to lead him home and this platform is trying to revive that,” he said.
“Such forums help men open up and not bottle up issues affecting them,” Bulawayo City Council Health Promotion Officer, Mr Kelton Ncube added.
Dubbed the Male Initiation Dialogue, the engagement forms an essential part of shaping the moral character of men as well as promoting the transfer of generational knowledge.
“This is a great initiative, but let us also have the elderly being part of the conversation to guide us and teach us about some of our traditions,” a participant said.
“These dialogues centre on sacred teaching and also cover behaviour towards women and community responsibility,” another added.
“What you need to do is to humble yourself and love that woman. If you are in good books with your wife, things move smoothly. A good man does not use imbokodo to guide his wife,” a participant stated.
According to NAC, the revival of male initiation dialogues can help define modern positive masculinity that does not promote harmful stereotypes.
