The Real Men’s Conference will take place at Thusong Centre in Khayelitsha this weekend.
Among others, the conference will tackle issues such as moral degeneration in society, with specific focus on gender based violence (GBV).
The two-day conference (Saturday 12 and Sunday 13), organised by Uluvo Project, will give men an opportunity to speak to one another about ways to add a meaningful contribution towards rooting out the scourge.
The conference, which had started as an imaginary thing on social media, will be attended by Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, Ayanda Kekana, popularly known as “Xhosa Men Association Spokesperson” and Petros Majola, who is a social activist for the rights of the marginalised.
According to Eric Kweleta, organiser of Uluvo Project, a number of issues including what it means to be a man, relationships, and issues of sex work will be discussed.
Kweleta said there was so much hype and serious positivity around this particular conference that they decided to host it live.
“We look into discussing so many issues that particularly affect men in general. For instance the issue of circumcision has degenerated and it no longer has the same dignity,” said Kweleta.
“What is central is what we cannot run away from which has become a serious challenge with men at the centre as perpetrators. This is in relation to gender based violence,” he said.
Kweleta said every morning you wake up to hear there’s a man who killed a woman or molested a child and this led them to convene this conference.
They hope to make a meaningful contribution in eliminating this scourge.
Kweleta said they needed a platform to ventilate issues as they come from a background where they needed to put on a “tough face and be brave” while most of the things were not being addressed.
He said they will also speak about fatherhood and what exactly it means other than being ATM donors. Also access that men do not have to their children when the relationship has gone sour.
Kweleta said they want to come out with clear resolutions about the new man and also be on the ground and not only react after the fact.
He hope this conference will take place annually and also go beyond the Western Cape province.
Kweleta said there would be no less than 31 civil society organisations taking part in the conference.
