The African man is dead. Listen to me, ladies and ladies, before you get hot under the collar and dismiss this as a ranting of an unfulfilled and conflicted male species of a male homo sapiens sapiens. Am one of them and I can tell you for free that were any of our grandfathers were to wake up and see what a sorry state the so called African man of today has turned out to be, they would just fold their hides and go back to rest- forever.
The African male was an awesome creature whose word was the rule. He was a man who knew what he wanted, where and how to get it and would sweat, heave and move the world, literally if need be, to what he wants to be and het what he wants to get. Sadly, it’s no more.
The fellow who passes himself as a man today is a wimpy, unsecure, conflicted soul with a thousand yearnings which he is unable and unwilling to achieve or just plain too lazy to pursue. In his place, has and is rising a band of determined, achieving sisters who are taking matters into their hands (literary and metaphorically) to further distress and confound this distressed male species.
Allow me flesh out this argument. African man was a decision maker. He would make up all the important decisions and see to their implementation. Today, we have men have foolishly, in the spirit of devolution I suppose, devolved all decision making to our literal better halves.
Lets start with the African man when he decides to marry. The man when he was a man would investigate, seek and amour his love. He would connive, convince and if necessary physically carry away the woman of his dreams. Today’s sissy men have to be convinced by the women they marry! How many of you, dear readers, had their then girlfriends demand that the men marry them after years of indecision? How many of you dear readers (for the last time!) have not yet paid a courtesy call to their wives (sorry wife’s) parents, leave alone pay the bride price? Is that what an African man was made for, really? Is this why Kimathi had to die in the forest fighting for?
The African man of today when he decide to marry will ask everybody, including all his long forgotten friends to contribute from the begging- going to see the home of the girl, paying the bride price if one will and above all to the marriage ceremony itself. Is it a wonder, then, that some men are being assisted in to bed?
Speaking of bedroom matters, this African man of today is a wonder. There is even a big debate today about who initiates you know what in bed. Surely? And then the underperformance there are, leading to many half fulfilled better halves walking all over…
So after being married, a function, which I insist, the man has devolved, the man rests on his no laurels and awaits. The decision on how many children, which school, which neighbourhood to move to, what or how the child/ren are performing at school are all minor decisions to be made by the mother now turned wife or is it the wife now mother.
The great champion known as the African man is left with the major decisions as determining who will win the 2017 MCA, parliamentary, governship and presidential elections- from his twitter account and #hashtags; why Arsenal is such an exciting and painful team to support; whether the dais fell from Railas phobia (or Railamaniac )and weight (maybe slim possible candidature?) and why we have a 53 year old Kamwana (young fellow) at state house and such critical matters.
Africans never allowed their youth to partake of the frothy products. Indeed, the only contact with contents which make men see double would on special occasions and would be accompanied by pious amount of meat, meshed and mashed potatoes and such healthy foodstuffs. Today, a typical African male, especially that of the lower economic bracket, opens and closes a ‘lock’ located somewhere in the centre of the throat every single morning and evening. Many a young fellows are turning out to be vegetables through uninhibited alcohol abuse. This is a complete anti thesis of an African man.
The African man fall from grace to grass has been accomplished through a multifaceted and gradual process. From the colonial times when men were en mass moved from the villages to detention centers to today’s rapidly changing fortunes, the African man has been a target of unprecedented circumstances.
During the colonial period, the male species was forced out of his house, home and community to seek cash for hut tax. The mass detention during the emergency period peaked a situation which had been gradually building- the rise and rise of women headed households. The men would be seen in their homes monthly and at times after several years. The lucky men served the homes as sperm donors but at times would come to ’his’ home after several years and find the wife has ‘found’ two or three kids for him. The poor emasculated fellow would fold his tail, count his losses and accept his fate and enjoy his newfound status of father of the nations.
The kids grew up knowing only the women figure authority at homes. All major decision would be made by women. What to cultivate, where, which cow to buy and often who to sire the next kid. Whereas this would be liberating and exciting for the girl child, it left the boy child confused and unable to tell is place in the society.
The mass adoption of western education, including cultural insensitive religion, contributed to further decline of the African man. To date, there are many Africans who find reading their vernacular languages too difficult. Others still suffer from the colonial hangover of everything African as being primitive. So our culture, our songs and languages are submerged in the western world view.
So the conflicted African man. Dislodged from his perch, dented image as imperfect and ugly, unable to think or express him in his language and in his original milieu, his slow but sure demise is all but established.
RIP African man!
This life! 