#124 A Journey From Boyhood to Manhood (with Kabelo Chabalala)

On this episode of #mensexpleasure, I chat with Kabelo Chabalala. Kabelo is the author of “A journey from boyhood to manhood.” He is the founder of and senior mentor at the Young Men Movement (YMM), an organisation that focuses on the reconstruction of the socialisation of boys to create a new cohort of men in our society across the globe. He is a columnist for the Sowetan, and his column appears twice a month in the paper on Fridays. He was the Community Builder Awardee of the year in 2019 for the Marcia Lebambo Foundation. He was 1 of 200 Obama Leaders: Africa 2018 and a Finland Correspondent Participant 2018. Kabelo is a former PR Specialist for Lingashoni and Mzansi Magic, and a former Columnist for the The Citizen newspaper. Kabelo describes himself as a feminist at heart and as an advocate for equality as well as for the well-being of the boy-child. He is also a preacher, having obtained a Theology certificate from the Johannesburg Bible College. The toy us talk about his work as a mentor with teenage boys and how he is helping them to shift their perspectives about masculinity. We discuss how absent fathers impact these boys and how Kabelo helps them take responsibility for their sexuality.

Key Points:

• Kabelo introduces himself
• Unresolved anger
• Stereotypical gender roles in rural South Africa
• Shifting ideas of masculinity
• Fatherlessness
• Responsibility and sexuality
• Becoming a husband

Relevant links:

Kabelo’s Instagram: @kb_the_village_boy

Kabelo’s website: https://villageboyvoice.wordpress.com/