When fathers go missing: Byo men reflect on their roles
FATHERS under an interdenominational banner yesterday held a breakfast meeting to discuss an array of issues affecting this important societal structure as well as encouraging each other to take up responsibility of their roles in different societal institutions.
Fathers are a key figure in society particularly at family level as they provide kids with a broader diversity of social experiences. They also introduce them to a wider variety of methods of dealing with life. They tend to stress rules, justice, fairness, and duty in discipline. In this way, they teach children the objectivity and consequences of right and wrong. They give kids insight into the world of men. They prepare them for the challenges of life and demonstrate by example the meaning of respect between the sexes.
Beyond these roles, a father is the summarily the provider, protector and hero of the family. These naturally stipulated gender roles have seen men facing a number of challenges that have been given mediocre attention by society. It is against this realization that men in Bulawayo came together under an interdenominational banner and organized a series of breakfast meetings that seek to articulate these issues.
Speaking on the sidelines of the breakfast meeting, author Greyson Chipote spoke of some of the challenges that men face in society.
“Men have issues that they might need to talk as men, some of them are health issues, carrier issues, marriage issues which might need men to have a word by themselves,” said Mr Chipote
Yesterday’s meeting saw discussions dwelling on the subject, ‘When fathers go missing’ which was derived from one of the books authored by Greyson Chipote who also led the discussion.
The manifold consequences of fatherlessness were discussed in depth as fathers sought to find a long lasting solution to this challenge.
“We need to find a solution on what to do when fathers go missing and address the issues of fatherlessness. They are a number of challenges that are a product of fatherlessness. The take home point is that there is no direct need for governmental support, what is actually required is for us individuals to take responsibility of our communities such that we become fathers that these kids do not have,” said Mr Chipote.
Participants who spoke to Sunday News said the meeting was key to them as there are limited platforms for men to discuss these
critical issues affecting them.
“The meeting was great as it was a second leg of an episode that was started a month ago on fatherhood and dealing with issues of absent fathers. I think today a number of issues emerged which were beneficial to me. The challenge is to say men have to take responsibility in their own personal spaces. It’s been noted that a lot of homes see children being raised by single parents particularly single mothers. Hence there has been an outcry to say men are missing in the picture. The emphases is to say men are software creators and women create a hardware. In summary basically a man’s contribution to the growth of the child is critical. Hardly the society does not realise the importance of men. The other issue is that the voice of men has been silent. Most voices have been that of women empowerment, but probably because men are not taking their spaces. As men we also need to father children outside family spheres,” said one Gerald Matiba.
— @nyeve14