Learning & Unlearning

Our world has become increasingly competitive which means our ability to ascend to our dreams and become the prominent men we dream of becoming is only becoming more difficult and less likely. This, coupled with the expectations we and the people around us place on us, makes for an awful assault on the mental wellbeing of young men. Here to help us unpack these ideas is Khaya Dlanga, an established and successful man in many respects and someone who understands the true cost untreated mental illness. Music By OneTone (Soulful Old School Hip Hop Instrumental [Free Download])– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bepsKUEALlE  Hosts  Bongani Frank Masilela- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bongani-frank-masilela-479421119/  Boitumelo Mpakanyane- https://www.linkedin.com/in/boitumelo-mpakanyane-69b319137/  Thami Pooe- https://www.linkedin.com/in/thami-pooe/  Guest(s) Khaya Dlanga

Feminism and recent social justice discourse has made some significant changes in ensuring and enforcing the rights of women in broader society, divesting gender from the roles we traditionally view through a gendered lens. However, this does may not always reflect in women’s intimate relationships with men, varying standards may also leave men seeking to reform their interface with women unclear about what is expected of them in intimate relationships with women. We have invited 3 women for a no holds barred conversation about what women expect from the men in their lives. Welcome to Busi Mkhumbuzi-Pooe, Candice Chirwa and Cassandra Moodley. We won’t be participants in this discussion. We are here to take direction, and to understand a range of perspectives that aren’t our own. Music By OneTone (Soulful Old School Hip Hop Instrumental [Free Download])– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bepsKUEALlE  Hosts  Bongani Frank Masilela- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bongani-frank-masilela-479421119/  Boitumelo Mpakanyane- https://www.linkedin.com/in/boitumelo-mpakanyane-69b319137/  Thami Pooe- https://www.linkedin.com/in/thami-pooe/  Guest(s) Busi Mkhumbuzi Pooe Candice Chirwa Cassandra Moodley

In many instances, the most honest relationships men have are with their friends, our friends know our secrets when our partners and families don’t, our friends know the things we feel to ashamed to share with anyone else and in some instances we are more readily vulnerable with our friends than other significant people in our lives. However despite this, relationships and friendships between men also present strong limitations and restrictions on what we broadly understand to be intimacy. Music By OneTone (Soulful Old School Hip Hop Instrumental [Free Download])– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bepsKUEALlE Hosts Bongani Frank Masilela- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bongani-frank-masilela-479421119/ Boitumelo Mpakanyane- https://www.linkedin.com/in/boitumelo-mpakanyane-69b319137/ Boikanyo Pooe- https://www.linkedin.com/in/thami-pooe/ Guest(s) None

While toxic masculinity is widely understood to be a social reality that affords men privileges and benefits, it is also true that that privilege is sometimes conditional or imposes unreasonable expectations and conditions that most men simply cannot live up to. In this episode we are going to unpack what is expected of men in the context of budding and established romantic relationships and how these expectations are to be managed while in a place of career, professional or financial uncertainty. Our guest today is Itumeleng Merafe, an established professional now but someone who’s known uncertainty and has loved while adulting. Music By OneTone (Soulful Old School Hip Hop Instrumental [Free Download])– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bepsKUEALlE  Hosts  Bongani Frank Masilela- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bongani-frank-masilela-479421119/  Boitumelo Mpakanyane- https://www.linkedin.com/in/boitumelo-mpakanyane-69b319137/  Boikanyo Pooe- https://www.linkedin.com/in/thami-pooe/  Guest(s) Itumeleng Merafe

In this episode, we look at the ways in which socio-political consciousness or “wokeness” alienates the majority of people in South Africa. In particular, we look at the language that is used when addressing issues such as patriarchy, xenophobia and racism. At the core of this discussion is looking at how classist wokeness can be and how messages can end up not getting across. Our guest in this episode is Lesego Mahlangu, who has navigated the university space along with her own background to try and understand how the activism she is exposed to at university, tangibly helps the issues everyday South Africans have to face. Music By OneTone (Soulful Old School Hip Hop Instrumental [Free Download])– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bepsKUEALlE  Hosts  Bongani Frank Masilela- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bongani-frank-masilela-479421119/  Boitumelo Mpakanyane- https://www.linkedin.com/in/boitumelo-mpakanyane-69b319137/  Boikanyo Pooe- https://www.linkedin.com/in/thami-pooe/  Guest(s) Lesego Mahlangu