Page 8 - Cry Like News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

"Góor-jigéens” used to move about freely in the streets of Dakar and other towns, dressed as women. A few decades ago, some Senegalese men openly identified themselves as neither male nor female, but as an alternative gender - the “Góor-jigéen” or “men-women”. Dakar is now West Africa’s center of gay oppression as it is seen as un-African. This is the story of the colonial roots of homophobia in Senegal. If you haven’t listened to our previous episodes about the Abatangamuco, a group of men in rural Burundi who decided to stop beating their wives, please, do so in the player...

Many boys dream of dangerous adventures, of becoming a hero - the strongest, smartest, bravest man of all. As did the young Guinean man Mamadou Alpha. After the death of his father, all he ever wanted was to get his mother out of poverty and become the perfect son, the family hero. At just 18, he embarked on an illegal migration route to Europe Guineans call “the adventure”, or “tounkan” in the local Malinké language. Thousands of African adventurers or “tounkan namo” die on these routes trying to cross the Mediterranean in search of a better life in Italy, Germany or France.

In 1966, the first law condemning homosexuality was passed in Senegal. When you are homosexual in Senegal, you are not only considered as a sub-man but also a criminal. You have to live in hiding or expose yourself to insults, lynching in public places, harassment and you can even end up in detention. In this fifth episode of Euronews and Africanews’ first podcast, Cry Like a Boy, Dakar-based journalist Marta Moreiras explores what it means to be gay in Senegal, where homosexual men are targeted with the slur “Góor-jigéen” - a pejorative term which literally means “men-women” in ...

From Burundi to Senegal, from Liberia to Lesotho, travel with us across Africa to discover the stories of men buckling under the pressure to conform to traditional male gender roles, and meet those who are defying centuries of stereotypes. Don't show your emotions, be strong, be the breadwinner, don't let a woman tell you what to do, be aggressive, don't express your fears: these phrases are drummed into many men’s heads from childhood, telling them how to behave like "real men". The problem with these attitudes is that they do not only harm women, but also men themselves, as they suffer fr...

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. Often run by criminal gangs, the illegal miners risk their lives and travel as far as four kilometers underground, where they live for several days. 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 at a time. In this podcast, we explore how men's desire for status can be destructive for families and how future generat...