Africa-Press – Botswana. The Deputy Kgosi of Bangwato, Kgosi Serogola Seretse, has challenged men to take responsibility for their actions as natural providers and protectors, and ensure the security of their families.
Giving a keynote address during the Re-Mophato Men’s Conference in Serowe on Saturday, Kgosi Seretse said if women and girls lived in fear of being raped and killed, such signified a dangerous society that needed to re-evaluate its values.
Kgosi Seretse said men ought to be determined and committed to shoulder the responsibility of nurturing boys into responsible men.
“Men have a crucial role to play as fathers, brothers, husbands and public advocates in both speaking out against violence against women and girls, and in defying the destructive stereotypes that served to normalize gender inequality,” he said.
Kgosi Seretse said men should engage one another to speak out against the scourge and highlighted the importance of changing male attitudes, whether towards physical abuse, psychological control or domineering decision-making.
Domestic abuse, several speakers noted, was generally perpetrated by male partners and that too often such behaviour was met with silence and tolerated by men themselves hence stressed that men and boys must be powerful change agents, take the lead and influence their peers.
Serowe Men Sector Committee member, Mr Phillip Mokoto, said despite concerted efforts to put a stop to sexual and gender-based violence, the threat continued to haunt women and girls with unacceptably high numbers of women experiencing violence in their lifetimes.
Mr Mokoto said: “Take action against violence when you see it and when you are able to oppose it. Speak up when you hear violent or oppressive language or comments. Learn about myths and bust them when someone is speaking them or when something is promoting them. Contribute to shifting and changing the culture of violence that exists, Mindset Change Bakaulegwe.”
He said he was concerned with how prisons were full of male offenders who committed offences which could have been prevented, noting that government used a lot of money to look after offenders.
Serowe Men Sector Chairperson, Kgosi Oral Mokgadi, said research had shown that listening to music could reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory hence advised men to let their young boys at home listen to music with clear and educative massage.
“At the core of our everyday experience with music, we use it to relax, express ourselves, come to terms with our emotions and generally improve our well-being,” he said.
Kgosi Mokgadi added that music had evolved into a tool for healing and self-expression.
The host, Dr Kabunda Kabunda talked about men’s health concerning Erectile Dysfunction (ED), also known as impotence and defined as a difficulty getting and keeping an erection.
Dr Kabunda said impotence might be embarrassing for some men to talk about though it had been reported that more than half of men aged 40 and above experienced some form of ED.
He stated that this alone had an effect in family breakdown because violence started if someone was not comfortable in the bedroom. He said most men were scared to go to health facilities to get checked for various diseases and instead preferred going there when seriously sick while come opted for concoctions from traditional doctors.
Dr Kabunda said he chose to convene the conference for men alone, to get knowledge about their precious lives. He said he was willing to do test for various diseases freely annually however, said ED was caused by different things like smoking.
If you smoke, quit, if you have trouble quitting, get help from doctors, Dr Kabunda advised. He encouraged men to lose excess weight because being overweight could cause a dysfunction.
He said it was possible to have a fulfilling sexual relationship even if one could not maintain an erection.
“In some cases, your doctor may prescribe medications or other treatments to treat ED. You may have underlying health conditions that need to be addressed,” he said and advised men to include physical activity in their daily routine and reduce consuming too much alcohol.
Dr Kabunda also said prostate cancer was common among men more especially those who have grown up and advised them to practice good eating habits and get checked regularly.
Old Apostolic Church’s Pastor Oratile Onalepelo said men should support their families and the women should obey their husbands. The conference was themed: “Stakeholder Inclusion Towards Achieving Prosperity for All.”
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