Fashioning Modern Africanism

Today’s fathers play a critical role in the development, nutrition and growth of their children. By: Anne-Marie De Beer, Nutrition, Health and Wellness Manager, Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region (ESAR),  writing for  The Growing Parent, a supportive platform for parents and caregivers with children between the ages of 3 - 5 years.  Fathers have a consequential impact on their children’s nutrition, exercise and play. According to a study  conducted by  Yogman et.al (2022),   the active and ongoing involvement of fathers in a child’s life has been linked to improved o utcomes such as improved mental health, physical and cognitive development.   In the South African context,  Swartz & Bhana, 2009  highlight how modern fathers speak with sadness about never knowing their own fathers and recognize the lack of experience and guidance on fatherhood and responsibility. However, significant socio-economic and cultural developments have provided modern fathers with the chance to be more

International Men's Day is a few days away and conversations around men are still at an all time low.  Recently, a 2 day GBVF Indaba took place and the community was left distraught at the lack of direction from what was meant to be a solutions driven Indaba.  TT Mbha who is an entrepreneur and father has taken it upon himself to rally “AMATYMA” to speak about wellness issues that affect men. Men are known to be hard nuts to crack, a species that bottles everything up because society has labelled sensitive men as weak. Mbha who speaks passionately about fatherhood, aims to gather men from all walks of life not only to speak about the harsh realities of being an man but to create an environment where men can learn from each other.“  International Men's days is around the corner and to date we can count the very few events that have been hosted by men for men. When I was conceptualising this event I really wanted to create a safe platform for men to talk - men don’t talk and as a