Cry Like a Boy

Fana is 18 but he feels he became a man at the age of 12 when he decided to go on an adventure and leave his home in Guinea, seeking a better life in Europe. Unlike our previous hero Mamadou, he made it to France. But what is the price he had to pay for his success?

With original reporting and editing by Makeme Bamba in Conakry, Guinea and Naira Davlashyan in Loches, France. Marta Rodriguez Martinez, Lillo Montalto Monella & Arwa Barkallah in Lyon, Mame Peya Diaw in Nairobi, Lory Martinez in Paris, France and Clitzia Sala in London, UK. In this episode, we used music by Ba Cissoko. Production Design by Studio Ochenta. Theme by Gabriel Dalmasso. A special thanks to our producer Natalia Oelsner for collecting the music for this episode. Our editor-in-chief is Yasir Khan.

If you’re a French speaker, this podcast is also available in French: Dans la tête des hommes. 

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After the death of his father all Mamadou Alpha wanted was to get his mother out of poverty and become her hero: the perfect son, the man of the family. At 18, he embarked on a dangerous migration route to Europe they call “the adventure”, or “tounkan” in the local Malinke language. Thousands of adventurers die trying to cross the Mediterranean in search of a better life. But Mamadou survived and was forcefully returned home. Yet, he considers his fate worse than death.

In this episode, we used music by Ba Cissoko. With original reporting and editing by Makeme Bamba in Conakry, Guinea and Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodriguez Martinez, Lillo Montalto Monella & Arwa Barkallah in Lyon, Mame Peya Diaw in Nairobi, Lory Martinez in Paris, France and Clitzia Sala in London, UK. Production Design by Studio Ochenta. Theme by Gabriel Dalmasso. Special thanks to our producer Natalia Oelsner for collecting the music for this episode. Our editor-in-chief is Yasir Khan.

Our podcast is available on Castbox, Spotify, Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you liked this episode, please give us five stars and leave a comment. Share with us your own stories of how you changed and challenged your view on what it means to be a man. Use #crylikeaboy. If you’re a French speaker, this podcast is also available in French: Dans la tête des hommes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Across Southern Africa, thousands of men are abandoning stable education and employment and are instead seeking a fantasy fortune in South Africa's abandoned mines. The illegal miners, known as the zama zamas, not only put their lives at risk but also leave their families behind in countries like Lesotho and Zimbabwe for weeks if not months at a time.

In this episode, we explore how men's desire for status can be destructive for families and how future generations are impacted by growing up with absent fathers. We delve into the conversation with Mpiwa Mangwiro, an advocacy specialist for MenEngage Africa Alliance based in Johannesburg, and Rosalind Morris, an award-winning anthropologist who has launched a project devoted to the illegal miners in South Africa.

This show has been produced by Khopotso Bodibe, in Johannesburg; Pascalinah Kabi in Maseru, Lesotho; Lillo Montalto Monella, Marta Rodríguez Martinez, Naira Davlashyan, Arwa Barkallah and Mame Peya Diaw in Lyon. Special thanks go to Lory Martinez and Clizia Sala from Studio Ochenta. The music theme by Gabriel Dalmasso.

If you are a French speaker, this podcast is also available in French: Dans la tête des Hommes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we explore the unknown world of the zama zamas, clandestine miners who are scavenging for gold in the world's deepest abandoned mines of South Africa. Our guests touch upon the condition of the women of illegal miners but also on the positive forms of masculinities that emerge from underground. 

Mpiwa Mangwiro has explored the social consequences of the extractive industry in South Africa, and Rosalind Morris is an award-winning anthropologist who has launched a project devoted to the zama zamas, featuring a documentary and several short films.

This show has been produced by Khopotso Bodibe, in Johannesburg; Pascalinah Khabi in Maseru, Lesotho; Lillo Montalto Monella, Marta Rodríguez Martinez, Naira Davlashyan, Arwa Barkallah and Mame Peya Diaw in Lyon. Special thanks go to Lory Martinez and Clizia Sala from Studio Ochenta. The music theme by Gabriel Dalmasso.

Like this episode? Share your thoughts on how you have challenged your view on what it means to be a man using the hashtag #CryLikeaBoy. This podcast is also available in French: Dans la tête des Hommes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's an impoverished mountainous district of Lesotho where many illegal mineworkers live with their families. Women often wait there for their husbands for months and sometimes years. Some men never return.  In this episode, we talk about the fate of the people left behind by those men tasked by their families to provide, tasked to be breadwinners.

In this episode, we used music by Lesotho artist Selimo Thabane. You can check out his work at selimothabane.org.

With original reporting and editing by Pascalinah Kabi in Maseru, Lesotho; Lillo Montalto Monella, Marta Rodriguez Martinez, Naira Davlashyan, Peya Mame Diaw & Arwa Barkallah in Lyon, Lory Martinez in Paris, France, and Clizia Sala in London, UK. Production Design by Studio Ochenta.Theme by Gabriel Dalmasso. Special thanks to our producer Natalia Oelsner for collecting the music for this episode. Our editor-in-chief is Yasir Khan.

Like this episode? Share with us your own stories of how you changed and challenged your view on what it means to be a man. Use #crylikeaboy. If you’re a French speaker, this podcast is also available in French and it’s called: Dans la Tête des Hommes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How far are you willing to go to provide for your family? Would you put your life at risk to put bread on the table? What if you had no choice? In Lesotho thousands of men have felt so much pressure to provide for their families that they are employed by criminal gangs as illegal miners, digging for gold in clandestine mines. In some cases, they will never see the light again. 

In this episode, we used extracts of the song ‘Marina’ by Rocco Granata, originally recorded in 1959. We also used music by Lesotho artist Selimo Thabane. You can check out his work at selimothabane.org and follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube as Selimo Thabane.

With original reporting and editing by Pascalinah Kabi in Maseru, Lesotho; Lillo Montalto Monella, Marta Rodriguez Martinez, Naira Davlashyan, Peya Mame Diaw & Arwa Barkallah in Lyon, Lory Martinez in Paris, France, and Clizia Sala in London, UK. Production Design by Studio Ochenta.Theme by Gabriel Dalmasso. Special thanks to our producer Natalia Oelsner for collecting the music for this episode. Our editor-in-chief is Yasir Khan.

Like this episode? Share with us your own stories of how you changed and challenged your view on what it means to be a man. Use #crylikeaboy. If you’re a French speaker, this podcast is also available in French and it’s called: Dans la Tête des Hommes.

Correction: The study conducted by Joanna Syrda shows that men who are the only earners are relatively stressed but they were not as stressed as men whose partners are the principal earners. Also, her research does not address the consequences for society, but only focuses on spousal relative income and male psychological distress. 

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What are the origins of homophobia in Africa? Where do the laws that punish same-sex relationships come from? South-African activist Khopotso Bodibe speaks to Youssef Belghmaidi, a Moroccan trans woman activist based in France, and Sheba Akpokli, an LGBTQI+ rights activist from Togo, about colonialism and its impact on sexual diversity and education.

Like this episode? Share your thoughts on how you have challenged your view on what it means to be a man using the hashtag #CryLikeaBoy. And if you are a French speaker, this podcast is also available in French: Dans la tête des hommes.

Hosted by Khopotso Bodibe; with original reporting and editing by Marta Moreiras in Dakar, Senegal; Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodríguez Martínez and Lillo Montalto Monella in Lyon, and Lory Martinez in Paris, France; Clizia Sala in London, United Kingdom. Production Design by Studio Ochenta. Theme music by Gabriel Dalmasso. Music curation for this episode is by Natalia Oelsner. Graphic Design by Alexis Caddeo & Alois Bombardier. Our executive producer is Yasir Khan.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Cry Like a Boy, South-African activist Khopotso Bodibe speaks to Youssef Belghmaidi, the organizer of the first pride march in the multicultural neighbourhood of Saint-Denis in Paris. She is a Moroccan trans woman activist based in Aubervilliers near the French capital. 

Our second guest, Sheba Akpokli, is an LGTBIQ+ rights activist from Togo. She represents the African region on the World Board of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. 

They will talk about being queer in Africa and in Europe. Does coming out affect the way people see you as a man? Does it change your daily lifestyle? Why do some immigrants continue to live in the closet when they move to Europe?

Hosted by Khopotso Bodibe; with original reporting and editing by Marta Moreiras in Dakar, Senegal; Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodríguez Martínez and Lillo Montalto Monella in Lyon, and Lory Martinez in Paris, France; Clizia Sala in London, United Kingdom. Production Design by Studio Ochenta. Theme music by Gabriel Dalmasso. Music curation for this episode is by Natalia Oelsner. Graphic Design by Alexis Caddeo & Alois Bombardier. Our executive producer is Yasir Khan.

Like this episode? Share your thoughts on how you have challenged your view on what it means to be a man with Euronews using the hashtag #CryLikeaBoy. And if you are a French speaker, this podcast is also available in French: Dans la tête des hommes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A few decades ago, some Senegalese men openly identified themselves as not male or female, but as an alternative gender - the “Góor-jigéen” or “men-women”. Senegalese society accepted them, and they moved about freely in the streets of Dakar and other towns, dressed as women. Today, in those very same streets, men seen as behaving effeminately in any way are often harassed or attacked.

Do any Senegalese still remember the time when this didn’t happen? Why did things change?

In this episode, we investigate the colonial roots of homophobia in Senegal. To do this, we travel back in time to when Dakar was known as the “gay capital” of West Africa.

Hosted by Danielle Olavario; with original reporting and editing by Marta Moreiras in Dakar, Senegal; Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodríguez Martínez and Lillo Montalto Monella in Lyon, and Lory Martinez in Paris, France; Clizia Sala in London, United Kingdom. Production Design by Studio Ochenta. Theme music by Gabriel Dalmasso. Music curation for this episode is by Natalia Oelsner. Graphic Design by Alexis Caddeo & Alois Bombardier. With editorial and production assistance from: Ignatius Annor, Tokunbo Salako, Paul Hackett and Sylvain Dutang. Our editor in chief is Yasir Khan.

In this episode, we used music by Sahad Sarr, a Senegalese artist and songwriter, involved in the development of rural populations. You can check out his work at sahadpatchwork.com.

This episode features extracts from Friends (The One With Joey's Bag, 1999) and Lambe, La lutte sénégalaise (Paulin Soumana Vieira, 1963). You can check more information about his work and buy the film in www.psv-films.fr.

Like this episode? Share your thoughts on how you have challenged your view on what it means to be a man with Euronews using the hashtag #CryLikeaBoy. And if you are a French speaker, this podcast is also available in French: Dans la tête des hommes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Junior is a young Senegalese man who lives with a secret about who he is. He’s kept it from his family and even his childhood friends, because he’s afraid of not only rejection, but persecution, and even imprisonment. The secret is that Junior is gay.

In this episode, Dakar-based journalist Marta Moreiras explores what it means to be gay in Senegal, where homosexual men here are targeted with the slur “Góor-jigéen” - a pejorative term which literally means “men-women” in the Wolof language, and is used to belittle their masculinity. 

Hosted by Danielle Olavario; with original reporting and editing by Marta Moreiras in Dakar, Senegal; Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodríguez Martínez and Lillo Montalto Monella in Lyon, and Lory Martinez in Paris, France; Clizia Sala in London, United Kingdom. Production Design by Studio Ochenta. Theme music by Gabriel Dalmasso. Music curation for this episode is by Natalia Oelsner. Our editor-in-chief is Yasir Khan.

This episode features extracts from Milk (2008), Rocketman (2019) and Moonlight (2016).

In this episode, we used music by Sahad Sarr, a Senegalese artist and songwriter, involved in the development of rural populations. You can check out his work at sahadpatchwork.com.

Like this episode? Share your thoughts on how you have challenged your view on what it means to be a man with Euronews using the hashtag #CryLikeaBoy. And if you are a French speaker, this podcast is also available in French: Dans la tête des hommes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.