(This article was first published in the New Vision on August 31, 2022)
By Edward Anyoli
Imelda Kyamwanga, a senior lecturer at the Mbarara University of Science and Technology, is concerned about what she calls the unequal attention given to boys and girls.
In her book, The Extinction of Mister Daddy: A blind eye we have given to raising of boys, Kyamwanga, a doctor of philosophy in community health, says the boy child has been locked out of many projects and religious and media campaigns seeking to improve living conditions and parenting for the children.
These, she says, have focused on women and girls. Kyamwanga, who launched her 47-page book at Fairway Hotel in Kampala last week, calls on parents and guardians to change their attitudes about boys and also empower them to grow into responsible men.
In her book, Kyamwanga relies on a boy as a character to express her views, showing how the boys are not given adequate attention when it comes to parenting today. Yet society continues to view men as the providers of families, she argues.
A society that defines true manhood through a man’s ability to provide for a family but locks boys out of emancipation campaigns could potentially cripple the men’s abilities to fulfil their workplace and family responsibilities, according to Kyamwanga.
She stresses the need for a shift in attitudes towards boys by giving them the same amount of attention as girls when it comes to parenting, as well as education and mentorship opportunities to avoid what she calls the extinction of daddy.
“My objective for writing this book is to create awareness about the upbringing of the boy child. I also want to raise the awareness that when you get a child, you should take the responsibility of looking after that child,” Kamwanga says.
She also emphasises the value of “praising the boy child” in order to build his self-esteem.
Nathan Byamukama, who handles training for the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence at the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, says the book is “a true reflection” of how boys are treated in Uganda.
He notes that the issues raised by the author need to be addressed.
Review Comments
Godfrey Kutesa, who describes himself as a mentor of boys, says the book emphasises the role of “mister daddy” in a family, adding that “families who care deeply for each other feel good about each other”.
Bernard Arinaitwe, an information technology specialist at KCB bank, says the book could help people raise their families better.
Catherine Malinda, an architect, who doubles as a marriage counsellor, urges parents to get “more involved with their children” in order to get great parenting results.
