Page 68 - STJ VOL 3 FINAL_Neat

Culture & Arts

not that the ‘mother link’ did some magic
in that uncle to nephew transaction is a
discussion for another day.
Well, you may not want to say it but we
would not have had men so driven if they did
not have a strong intellective powerhouse
behind them.

What’s also noticeable is that the role
women have played in raising powerful
men resonates with what motivates them to
reach for greatness. What is this motivation
behind raising strong men? The motivation
is one grounded in values vs. masculinity.
Masculinity has always won the definition of
man, but always faltered the value of a great
value-based man.
Simply put, the match results have been
decided by what gets us over the line and is
more desirable across various industries and
role responsibilities demanding leadership
ability.

The verdict is values over masculinity; values
are what make the character of a man and
in raising powerful men, most strong women
have taught and raised value-centric men as
opposed to masculinity-centric individuals.
In 2017, while speaking at a convention and
eulogizing his mother, the former President
of the United States of America Barack
Obama said his mother taught him three
principal values:
Is it not true that without these strong women pillars of society, the
“To be kind, useful and caring about people people who have built the very fiber of existence of true men and
who are less fortunate than me; Be a first point of contact for all human life, we the strong men, ‘men of
peacemaker rather than an instigator and our times ‘would be nothing?
try to lift people up instead of putting them
down.” The Africa we have always had, has been female but without a
prominent role and direct voice in the boardroom. She raised the
In Obama’s words, these set of values guided men who now speak up and invite her to her deserved throne of
him throughout his Presidency, and whether decision making by saying, ‘you alongside me,’ is what we need to
you like him or not, history will never erase rethread society and raise a balanced society which is committed to
him from the list of presidents as the first rewriting the story of the strong people of Africa.
black president of America.
I like questioning everything around me. In case you are wondering, I still ask, WHO RAISED ALL THE STRONG
Asking questions brings illumination and has MEN?
been said to be the midwife to discovery.
Well, if we think women have been mothers at home cooking and
That said, is it not right to conclude that one taking care of the family while their husbands worked, we may need
of the most powerful men at the time of his to think again. The truth could even be that they have been busy
presidency was just as strong as his mother’s raising stronger men to represent them well in boardrooms and
mentorship on values? society.

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