AUTHOR: Various Poets
PUBLISHER: Kwani?
PRICE: Ksh 500
Nyeri women pouring hot water and bludgeoning their men to recall their responsibilities a few months ago in the press is still fresh in many minds. Since FIDA and other organizations begun to protect the girl child from gender inequalities, the boy-child has been left on his own. For the first time in Kenya, men are endangered lot and Mandeleo ya Wanaume is flashing a red card. The situation is dire!
This poetry collection attempts to reveal through its various poets-both young and old what it takes to be a man. It is divided into three sections: the competition winners, competition shortlist and breaking through. For example, In ‘Breaking Through’, Ndanu Mungala mourns:
My sisters tell me
I am now
the man of the house.
A polite way of saying
Stop crying!
The society is also breeding men who are not supposed to account for their misdeeds. Men who invent excuses to avoid responsibility that is a common scenario of the new Adam breed in Kenya. This is according to Samuel Munene in his playful piece “Mercy Don’t You I understand That I am Man?”
The collection also contains illuminating pieces done by published poets such as Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, Sitawa Namwalie and veteran novelist cum poet Marjorie Oludhe-Macgoye among others. This volume is a must read especially for all aspiring and practicing poets but more so, those curious to understand what it takes to be a man.
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