Learning & Unlearning

We wonder, is Femicide an insurgent issue, or is it an incumbent problem with a long history in this country? What is the root cause of this plague, and how do we solve it? In this episode, we aim to flesh out the femicide crisis in South Africa, as Bulelwa joins us again to help us understand femicide, and put us in a position to be change agents as individual men.

Rape has transcended the state of being a crisis, it is now a normal state of affairs in South Africa- our society seems to have learnt to live with it. Why and how do we reverse this status quo? In this episode, we aim to dig into the South African rape phenomenon.

The lives and livelihoods of immigrants in South Africa has been at the forefront of modern-day conversations for a long time. These days, with gender-centric topics being at the center, we look at the ongoing journey of a young man living in SA as a man from Zimbabwe. Our guest today is Gabriel Shamu, a young academic navigating masculinity in a foreign country.

Masculinity in Africa has been a global topic of discussion for generations. The scars of the past have made the meaning and the practice of masculinity in Africa so ambiguous, that the definition of manhood in Africa is almost impossible to ideate. In this episode, we aim to unpack masculinity and how a young, urban, West African man navigates it in Ghana.

The U.K. plays a special role in the lives of Africans and Africans in the diaspora. Having colonised a significant portion of the continent, taken part in the slave trade and attracted a large number of black people to the metropole or “the motherland”, the U.K.and its influence on blackness is noteworthy. In this episode, we are taking a look at how black masculinity manifests itself in the lives of second-generation immigrants in London.

Having worked hard to establish that men are complex, emotional & vulnerable beings, one area of life that has had to shift immensely to accommodate these changes is romantic relationships. In this episode, we will consider and explore how men show up in their romantic relationships with women or at least how they perceive them, approach them and navigate them.

We are taught and brought up with the belief that masculinity is something to be embodied, a state of being that requires a certain degree of physicality and can only be achieved by those with the physical prowess to meet this standard. In this episode, our hosts decipher this perceived embodiment of masculinity, bringing to light a spectrum of ways in which they contribute to the toxic traits that the rest of society (women especially) fall victim to as a result.

Insecurities around physical appearance and negative self perception relating to one’s physical appearance are generally understood to be a mental phenomenon experienced exclusively by women, however this is increasingly being experienced by men as well. In this week’s episode, we take a look at how men’s psychology may be affected by their view of their physical bodies, and how as a society, this mindset is perpetuated by our views and treatment of each other, in relation to our physical appearance.

A new season of Learning and Unlearning is finally here! Catch your hosts Thami, Bongani and Tumi, as they unpack more of the myths surrounding the idea of masculinity- this time, all over the world.

Our world has become increasingly competitive which means our ability to ascend to our dreams and become the prominent men we dream of becoming is only becoming more difficult and less likely. This, coupled with the expectations we and the people around us place on us, makes for an awful assault on the mental wellbeing of young men. Here to help us unpack these ideas is Khaya Dlanga, an established and successful man in many respects and someone who understands the true cost untreated mental illness.

Music By

OneTone (Soulful Old School Hip Hop Instrumental [Free Download])– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bepsKUEALlE 

Hosts 

Bongani Frank Masilela- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bongani-frank-masilela-479421119/ 

Boitumelo Mpakanyane- https://www.linkedin.com/in/boitumelo-mpakanyane-69b319137/ 

Thami Pooe- https://www.linkedin.com/in/thami-pooe/ 

Guest(s)

Khaya Dlanga