ALBONE

 It takes a brave man to acknowledge his vulnerability. June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month. Over the last few years, there has been a welcome increase in discussion around mental health, particularly men's mental health. Unfortunately, the centuries-old stigma surrounding men's mental health still persists, as if having a Y-chromosome somehow prevents you from being emotionally vulnerable. Men don't cry? Yeah, no. Men don’t feel anxious? Nope. Jesus Christ, the literal definition of a Perfect Man, was in such mental agony the night before His execution that he sweated blood (a rare condition known as hematidrosis). There are a plethora of negative societal consequences for not allowing men to talk about their mental health: such as more instances of domestic violence and higher rates of depression. According to WHO, annual suicide rates for males globally (12.6 per 10,000 people) are over twice as high as those for females (5.6 per 10,000 people).  This needs to c...

 Standing up for what's right is rarely easy, but it's necessary. Over the last couple of days, there have been numerous protests held in various Kenyan counties over the proposed 2024 Finance Bill. The Bill is part of the Kenyan government's annual budget and is in its final stages of deliberation. The reason so many Kenyans have taken to the streets and to social media to protest against the Bill is due to the numerous tax hikes it'll introduce on basic commodities and services. Furthermore, if the Bill is approved, it will result in a loss of digital privacy amongst Kenyans by granting the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) immunity to data protection laws. Like many other Kenyans, I feel as though this Finance Bill is the straw that broke the camel's back. Over the last few years, Kenya has seen a large increase in taxes. Whilst this is somewhat understandable (as there has been a global recession of sorts over the last few years and Kenya is pretty deep in the debt ...

 A reflection on the role and nature of fatherhood. I'm not the first or the last to say this: our world is suffering from a 'dad' crisis. Many children are growing up without the physical or emotional presence of a father figure in their lives. In some circumstances, this is unavoidable (such as in the case of the death of a father figure), but in a lot of others, so-called 'men' are unwilling to do their duty and support their families, either slacking off in their role or outright abandoning their wives and children. Why is this happening? Amongst other reasons, I believe ignorance is a key factor to be considered. Ignorance of what exactly? Ignorance of what being a father really means. Now, I can't claim to know much about fatherhood. Yeah, I've been blessed with a great dad, but that doesn't mean that I understand exactly how it feels like to be a father. In general, parenthood is about  giving. During marriage, husband and wife agree to give thems...