Men's Cave: Inkundla yamadoda meeting on the cards

LOCAL men are set to congregate at Derby Hotel in Bulawayo for a workshop that will shed light on what has been a nascent pandemic lately, mental health issues that men face.

The discussion platform dubbed "Men's Cave: Inkundla yamadoda Workshop" is being hosted and facilitated by radio personality Phil and Lizwi in collaboration with WOTA Mental Health Consultancy and is slated for July 1.

The initiative is in line with the idea that June is Mental Health Awareness Month.

World Mental Health Month raises awareness with a unified voice, giving people impacted hope which enables them to act and bring about long-lasting change.

Phil shed more light on the initiative in an interview.

"Men suffer a lot in silence and this discussion forum will help them open up. Be it emotional regulations, dealing with family, relationship conflicts, erectile dysfunction and stress management, men need to pour their hearts out.

"The workshop will raise awareness on the dangers of taking unregulated sexual enhancements (umvusankunzi), educate men on how to regulate their emotions instead of numbing them and also how to fight drug and substance abuse," he said.

He said most men are breadwinners and if the going gets tough, some end up resorting to betting which eventually becomes an addiction.

"We aim to restore the dignity of men who have lost respect in a family setup by equipping them with skills to manoeuvre as they face day-to-day challenges that have been brought about by feminism.

"We'll also have discussions on mental health issues affecting men. Health issues such as prostate cancer will be discussed. Basically, men will have an opportunity to network," he said.

The workshop, according to Witness Bongani Mguni, founder of WOTA Mental Health Consultancy, aims to level the playing field and allow men a chance to open up about what they experience.

"As an organisation that is championing mental health and also having a responsibility towards the community, we're concerned about men.

Our survey indicates that men feel left out. Society's expectations and traditional gender roles play a role in why men are less likely to discuss or seek help for their mental health problems," said Mguni.

He said even when related to medical professionals like their GP, many men don't feel like they can raise the issue of mental health.

"About 22 percent of respondents said they would not feel comfortable speaking to their GP or any other professional about their mental health.

"The main reason given was that they worry it would be a waste of their GP's time.

"Given that suicides are so high among men (77 percent of all suicides are committed by men), it serves to highlight the damage that can be caused when men feel like they can't reach out for support," Mguni said.

The recent trend of men from all walks of life succumbing to life's stresses and the often-fatal repercussions of bottling issues is alarming.

Last year, rapper The Shoemaker (born Mzingaye Sibanda) hosted the IIWIIS Men's Conference where male artistes gathered to share meat and drinks as well as discuss different social issues that affect them.