Cry Like a Boy

Euronews presents - The Star Ingredient

Our new documentary podcast series will take you on a culinary journey across Africa where we’ll meet communities and local chefs on a mission to revive the continent’s indigenous crops - all while sharing delicious new recipes and flavours.

The challenges of men working with men

The job of Edward Wageni, the director of HeForShe*, is to find the tools to help men change their behaviours towards women and push for structural shifts on all levels.

In this episode of Cry Like a Boy, we discuss the challenges that Wageni faces working with men and why gender equality is good for everyone, not just women.

*HeForShe is a UN initiative that focuses on engaging men and boys to achieve gender equality. The movement has numerous famous ambassadors, among them is actor  Emma Watson, who was one of the first voices of the campaign in 2014 with a speech that quickly went viral.

This is a special spin-off episode of Cry Like a Boy hosted by  Mame Peya Diaw and produced by Naira Davlashyan and Marta Rodriguez Martinez.

Music theme: Gabriel Dalmasso. 

Being queer and masculine

“Masculinity isn’t really a thing,” argues journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist Georges M Johnson. In this episode of Cry Like a Boy the author of  the critically-acclaimed memoir ‘All Boys Aren’t Blue’ addresses the questions around race, identity and gender. They also speak about how opening up about their experiences as a queer Black person living in the US changed their life. 

This is a special spin-off episode of Cry Like a Boy hosted by  Mame Peya Diaw and produced by Naira Davlashyan and Marta Rodriguez Martinez.

Music theme: Gabriel Dalmasso. 

Genocide: Men are also victims of rape

In Cry Like Boy, we have spoken about the trauma caused by Liberia’s civil war. But conflict is a global issue. In this new episode, we ask Adama Dieng about the impact such a violent act as genocide can have on men, women, or victims of rape. And what can be done to prevent genocide. 

Adama Dieng is a former UN Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Tutsi genocide of Rwanda. In 2012, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed him as UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide.

This is a special spin-off episode of Cry Like a Boy hosted by Mame Peya Diaw and produced by Naira Davlashyan and Marta Rodriguez Martinez.

Musical theme: Gabriel Dalmasso.

The soldiers in Liberia: My voice was a weapon

Cecelia Danuweli realised she had the power to change the course of Liberia’s war in 2003. She joined a group of brave women who organised peaceful protests in front of the warlords. Their actions had a better range than bullets. Years later, this story was received with a standing ovation at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York as award-winning director Gini Reticker made this extraordinary rebellion of women into a film with the documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell (2009).

In this second part of the conversation, Reticker and Danuweli reflect on the impact of women's power to end war. 

The soldiers in Liberia: A woman's war

Liberia witnessed a spiral of violence, hunger, and death for more than a decade. But women said enough was enough and united to try and end the war. They came together regardless of their origin, class, or religion.

The soldiers in Liberia: The invisible wound

After witnessing the murder of his parents and siblings, Morris Matadi was recruited as a child soldier in the Liberian civil war. One day he managed to put down his rifle and fled. But the horror of war did not end there: he kept returning to the battlefield with vivid nightmares and experienced other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as anger attacks. All this in a context where these warriors, who once lived by their own rules, became the black sheep of society once the war ended.

In this episode, we rejoin Liberian journalist Carielle Doe to explore the war wounds that are invisible but take longer to heal. A wound that not only deeply scars the lives of ex-combatants, but of Liberian society, which today struggles to confront its past.

The soldiers in Liberia: A men’s war

Jonathan is a Liberian man in his late forties. When we first met him in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, Jonathan gave us the impression of being a laid-back guy. But his persona changed as soon as he started to talk about the war. In this episode, we join Liberian journalist Carielle Doe to explore the memories of the country‘s civil war by following the life trajectory of this former soldier. A bloody battle in which masculinity was pushed to the extreme.

Tounkan namo in Guinea: Unwelcome home

When young guys like Mamadou don’t succeed in their dangerous adventure from West Africa to Europe, they’re often not welcome back home. Why is there such pressure on men to succeed and how does this affect women? 

In this episode, Khopotso Bodibe continues his conversation with a South African lawyer and rights activist Sharon Ekambaram and Julie Kleinman, a US anthropologist and author of the book “Adventure Capital: Migration and the Making of an African Hub in Paris”.

This show has been produced with Khopotso Bodibe in Johannesburg, South Africa. Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodríguez-Martinez, Lillo Montalto Monella in Lyon, France, Arwa Barkallah and Mame Peya Diaw in Dakar, Senegal. Special thanks go to Lory Martinez, Clizia Sala from Studio Ochenta for helping us produce this podcast. Theme by Gabriel Dalmasso. Our editor-in-chief is Yasir Khan.

For more information on Cry Like a Boy, a Euronews original series and podcast, go to Euronews.com to find opinion pieces, videos, and articles on the topic. If you’re a French speaker, this podcast is also available in French: Dans la tête des hommes. 

Tounkan namo in Guinea: Living abroad

Many African migrants who take the dangerous journey into Europe will not make it. The few who reach their destinations still face hurdles like filling out the right documentation, meeting new friends, or trying to find a job. The tasks become even more difficult as they are Black. 

In this episode, Khopotso Bodibe talks to South African lawyer and rights activist Sharon Ekambaram and Julie Kleinman, an American anthropologist and author of the book “Adventure Capital: Migration and the Making of an African Hub in Paris”.

This show has been produced with Khopotso Bodibe in Johannesburg, South Africa. Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodríguez-Martinez, Lillo Montalto Monella in Lyon, France, Arwa Barkallah and Mame Peya Diaw in Dakar, Senegal. Special thanks go to Lory Martinez, Clizia Sala from Studio Ochenta for helping us produce this podcast. Theme by Gabriel Dalmasso. Our editor-in-chief is Yasir Khan.

For more information on Cry Like a Boy, a Euronews original series and podcast, go to Euronews.com to find opinion pieces, videos and articles on the topic. If you’re a French speaker, this podcast is also available in French: Dans la tête des hommes. 

Tounkan namo in Guinea: The Adventure

Fana is 18 but he feels he became a man at the age of 12 when he decided to go on an adventure and leave his home in Guinea, seeking a better life in Europe. Unlike our previous hero Mamadou, he made it to France. But what is the price he had to pay for his success?

Tounkan namo in Guinea: The Hero

After the death of his father all Mamadou Alpha wanted was to get his mother out of poverty and become her hero: the perfect son, the man of the family. At 18, he embarked on a dangerous migration route to Europe they call “the adventure”, or “tounkan” in the local Malinke language. Thousands of adventurers die trying to cross the Mediterranean in search of a better life. But Mamadou survived and was forcefully returned home. Yet, he considers his fate worse than death.

In this episode, we used music by Ba Cissoko. With original reporting and editing by Makeme Bamba in Conakry, Guinea and Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodriguez Martinez, Lillo Montalto Monella & Arwa Barkallah in Lyon, Mame Peya Diaw in Nairobi, Lory Martinez in Paris, France and Clitzia Sala in London, UK. Production Design by Studio Ochenta. Theme by Gabriel Dalmasso. Special thanks to our producer Natalia Oelsner for collecting the music for this episode. Our editor-in-chief is Yasir Khan.

Our podcast is available on Castbox, Spotify, Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you liked this episode, please give us five stars and leave a comment. Share with us your own stories of how you changed and challenged your view on what it means to be a man. Use #crylikeaboy. If you’re a French speaker, this podcast is also available in French: Dans la tête des hommes.

Banna Ba Mamaenara in Lesotho: Absent fathers

Across Southern Africa, thousands of men are abandoning stable education and employment and are instead seeking a fantasy fortune in South Africa's abandoned mines. The illegal miners, known as the zama zamas, not only put their lives at risk but also leave their families behind in countries like Lesotho and Zimbabwe for weeks if not months at a time.

In this episode, we explore how men's desire for status can be destructive for families and how future generations are impacted by growing up with absent fathers. We delve into the conversation with Mpiwa Mangwiro, an advocacy specialist for MenEngage Africa Alliance based in Johannesburg, and Rosalind Morris, an award-winning anthropologist who has launched a project devoted to the illegal miners in South Africa.

This show has been produced by Khopotso Bodibe, in Johannesburg; Pascalinah Kabi in Maseru, Lesotho; Lillo Montalto Monella, Marta Rodríguez Martinez, Naira Davlashyan, Arwa Barkallah and Mame Peya Diaw in Lyon. Special thanks go to Lory Martinez and Clizia Sala from Studio Ochenta. The music theme by Gabriel Dalmasso.

If you are a French speaker, this podcast is also available in French: Dans la tête des Hommes.

Banna Ba Mamaenara in Lesotho: Redemption

In this episode, we explore the unknown world of the zama zamas, clandestine miners who are scavenging for gold in the world's deepest abandoned mines of South Africa. Our guests touch upon the condition of the women of illegal miners but also on the positive forms of masculinities that emerge from underground. 

Mpiwa Mangwiro has explored the social consequences of the extractive industry in South Africa, and Rosalind Morris is an award-winning anthropologist who has launched a project devoted to the zama zamas, featuring a documentary and several short films.

This show has been produced by Khopotso Bodibe, in Johannesburg; Pascalinah Khabi in Maseru, Lesotho; Lillo Montalto Monella, Marta Rodríguez Martinez, Naira Davlashyan, Arwa Barkallah and Mame Peya Diaw in Lyon. Special thanks go to Lory Martinez and Clizia Sala from Studio Ochenta. The music theme by Gabriel Dalmasso.

Like this episode? Share your thoughts on how you have challenged your view on what it means to be a man using the hashtag #CryLikeaBoy. This podcast is also available in French: Dans la tête des Hommes.

Banna Ba Mamaenara in Lesotho: No man's land

There's an impoverished mountainous district of Lesotho where many illegal mineworkers live with their families. Women often wait there for their husbands for months and sometimes years. Some men never return.  In this episode, we talk about the fate of the people left behind by those men tasked by their families to provide, tasked to be breadwinners.

Banna Ba Mamaenara in Lesotho: Brothers of darkness

How far are you willing to go to provide for your family? Would you put your life at risk to put bread on the table? What if you had no choice? In Lesotho thousands of men have felt so much pressure to provide for their families that they are employed by criminal gangs as illegal miners, digging for gold in clandestine mines. In some cases, they will never see the light again. 

The Góor-jigéen in Senegal: Sexual Colonisation

What are the origins of homophobia in Africa? Where do the laws that punish same-sex relationships come from? South-African activist Khopotso Bodibe speaks to Youssef Belghmaidi, a Moroccan trans woman activist based in France, and Sheba Akpokli, an LGBTQI+ rights activist from Togo, about colonialism and its impact on sexual diversity and education.

Like this episode? Share your thoughts on how you have challenged your view on what it means to be a man using the hashtag #CryLikeaBoy. And if you are a French speaker, this podcast is also available in French: Dans la tête des hommes.

Hosted by Khopotso Bodibe; with original reporting and editing by Marta Moreiras in Dakar, Senegal; Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodríguez Martínez and Lillo Montalto Monella in Lyon, and Lory Martinez in Paris, France; Clizia Sala in London, United Kingdom. Production Design by Studio Ochenta. Theme music by Gabriel Dalmasso. Music curation for this episode is by Natalia Oelsner. Graphic Design by Alexis Caddeo & Alois Bombardier. Our executive producer is Yasir Khan.

The Góor-jigéen in Senegal: Coming out

The Góor-jigéen in Senegal: The Past

A few decades ago, some Senegalese men openly identified themselves as not male or female, but as an alternative gender - the “Góor-jigéen” or “men-women”. Senegalese society accepted them, and they moved about freely in the streets of Dakar and other towns, dressed as women. Today, in those very same streets, men seen as behaving effeminately in any way are often harassed or attacked.

Do any Senegalese still remember the time when this didn’t happen? Why did things change?

In this episode, we investigate the colonial roots of homophobia in Senegal. To do this, we travel back in time to when Dakar was known as the “gay capital” of West Africa.

Hosted by Danielle Olavario; with original reporting and editing by Marta Moreiras in Dakar, Senegal; Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodríguez Martínez and Lillo Montalto Monella in Lyon, and Lory Martinez in Paris, France; Clizia Sala in London, United Kingdom. Production Design by Studio Ochenta. Theme music by Gabriel Dalmasso. Music curation for this episode is by Natalia Oelsner. Graphic Design by Alexis Caddeo & Alois Bombardier. With editorial and production assistance from: Ignatius Annor, Tokunbo Salako, Paul Hackett and Sylvain Dutang. Our editor in chief is Yasir Khan.

The Góor-jigéen in Senegal: The Secret

Junior is a young Senegalese man who lives with a secret about who he is. He’s kept it from his family and even his childhood friends, because he’s afraid of not only rejection, but persecution, and even imprisonment. The secret is that Junior is gay.

In this episode, Dakar-based journalist Marta Moreiras explores what it means to be gay in Senegal, where homosexual men here are targeted with the slur “Góor-jigéen” - a pejorative term which literally means “men-women” in the Wolof language, and is used to belittle their masculinity. 

Hosted by Danielle Olavario; with original reporting and editing by Marta Moreiras in Dakar, Senegal; Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodríguez Martínez and Lillo Montalto Monella in Lyon, and Lory Martinez in Paris, France; Clizia Sala in London, United Kingdom. Production Design by Studio Ochenta. Theme music by Gabriel Dalmasso. Music curation for this episode is by Natalia Oelsner. Our editor-in-chief is Yasir Khan.

This episode features extracts from Milk (2008), Rocketman (2019) and Moonlight (2016).

The Abatangamuco in Burundi: The Solutions

In this episode we continue our conversation about the Abatangamuco, a group of Burundian men who used to be violent to their wives but then changed, and how their experience can be useful for the rest of the world. This roundtable features South African gender equality activist Khopotso Bodibe, Burundian humanitarian worker Grace-Francoise Nibizi and European researcher, Hilde Ousland Vandeskog.

Grace-Francoise Nibizi founded an association to empower underprivileged women in Burundi. Norwegian gender researcher, Hilde Ousland Vandeskog, is the author of the first international study on the Abatangamuco communities in Burundi.

This episode of Cry Like a Boy was hosted by Khopotso Bodibe in Johannesburg. It has been produced and edited by Clarisse Shaka in Burundi, Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodriguez Martinez and Lillo Montalto Monella in Lyon and Lory Martinez in Paris, France.

Our editor in chief is Yasir Khan. Production design by Studio Ochenta. Theme by Gabriel Dalmasso.

The Abatangamuco in Burundi: The Lessons

After exploring the stories of the Abatangamuco in the first two episodes of Cry Like a Boy, we continue the conversation in this roundtable featuring South African gender equality activist Khopotso Bodibe, Burundian humanitarian worker Grace-Francoise Nibizi and European researcher, Hilde Ousland Vandeskog.

Grace-Francoise Nibizi founded an association to empower underprivileged women in Burundi. Norwegian gender researcher, Hilde Ousland Vandeskog, is the author of the first international study on the Abatangamuco communities in Burundi.

This episode of Cry Like a Boy was hosted by Khopotso Bodibe in Johannesburg. It has been produced and edited by Clarisse Shaka in Burundi, Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodriguez Martinez and Lillo Montalto Monella in Lyon and Lory Martinez in Paris, France.

Our editor in chief is Yasir Khan. Production design by Studio Ochenta. Theme by Gabriel Dalmasso.

The Abatangamuco in Burundi: The Couple

More than 10 years ago, Innocent was a violent husband who splurged all his family's wealth on his 27 lovers. That was before he met a group that has led thousands of men in Burundi to rethink their behaviour. In this episode, Burundi-based journalist Clarisse Shaka delves into the world of the Abatangamuco, which means “those who shine light” in Kirundi. Part 2 of 2.

In this second episode exploring Burundi's Abatangamuco community theatre troupe, we hear from the troupe's founder and learn how this movement has created lasting change and sparked discussions around what it means to "be a man" across the country.

Hosted by Danielle Olivario; with original reporting and editing by Clarisse Shaka and Fabrice Nzohabonayo in Gitega, Burundi; Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodriguez Martinez and Lillo Montalto Monella in Lyon, and Lory Martinez in Paris, France. Production Design by Studio Ochenta. Music by Yves Kami, Theme music by Gabriel Dalmasso.

The Abatangamuco in Burundi: The Theater

More than 10 years ago, Innocent was a violent husband who splurged all his family's wealth on his 27 lovers. That was before he met a group that has led thousands of men in Burundi to rethink their behaviour. In this episode, Burundi-based journalist Clarisse Shaka delves into the world of the Abatangamuco, which means “those who shine light” in Kirundi. Part 1 of 2.

Hosted by Danielle Olivario; with original reporting and editing by Clarisse Shaka and Fabrice Nzohabonayo in Gitega, Burundi; Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodriguez Martinez and Lillo Montalto Monella in Lyon, and Lory Martinez in Paris, France. Production Design by Studio Ochenta. Music by Yves Kami, Theme music by Gabriel Dalmasso.  

This episode features extracts from Friends (1994-2004), Goldfinger (1964), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).

Euronews presents: Cry Like a Boy

Cry Like a boy is a documentary and interview podcast that explores how men are defying stereotypes and promoting gender equality. The series brings you to five African nations to discover how local communities are working towards change. Cry like a Boy is the first original podcast of Euronews, produced with the support of the European Journalism Center and of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Available in English and French. 

Credits: With original reporting by Lillo Montalto Monella, Marta Rodriguez Martinez, Naira Davlashyan. Presented by Danielle Olavario. Original theme by Gabriel Dalmasso, Production Design by Studio Ochenta. Graphic design by Alois Bombardier.