The struggle of a Nigerian man is a broad topic. A whole lot
is expected from an African man. It can be frustrating most times but every African
man is expected to live up to the standard of his mates. The weight is placed
on the African man as soon as he comes into the world. There are
a whole lot of things expected of the African male child. Most go through with
it, whilst others choose their paths.
The African man is
expected right from an early age to be strong. He is expected to hide every
form of weakness and build a strong wall around him. A lot of young African
male children think crying is a show of weakness. The Igbo male child must be
initiated into the masquerade system as this helps build the ego of the child.
The young children follow their fathers to the farms and plant and harvest as
much as possible. They are told not to allow the female not to beat them in
class just to show their strength, intelligence and also to give them a sense of
responsibility. The African male
child is always expected to be strong and competitive. African parents
always take pride in competition . The need to compete is always sacrosanct. The young
boys engage in wrestling competitions, the farmers always want to show their
bumper harvests, acquire so many properties and get as many titles. It is a
battle of supremacy. The children are always compared to each other.
oh Chukwuma see Silas and Okah, do they have two heads?
Though it is always meant to spur the child, it usually ends up messing
with the ego of the child. The child that doesn’t do as well is seen as
weak.
The African man is
supposed to be selfless and provide. The African male is very selfless and
provides for himself, wife(s), children, in-laws and the less privileged. The African
man does not earn for just himself. He earns for all. This is probably the only
theory that most female folks believe. ( even the so-called African feminists). You
must be able to foot the bills when you go out on dates, get them expensive
clothing, jewellery, phones and the likes even when she can afford them. African women
take pride in their men taking care of them and they also love to show how much
their men spend on them. It is also believed that a man should also
procreate, fend for his family and leave something tangible for them behind. The expectation placed on the African child is colossal and
he always tries to meet up. While it is important to be stern on the male
child, it is important to note that always being hard does not always make him
stronger; being there for him always does the trick
