For Boys Like Us -By Ayobami Okerinde

In 2018, Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, a university lecturer from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, launched the International Day of the Boy Child. It emphasizes boys’ needs to be happy, healthy, and appreciated by their families and communities. A day like this only reaffirms the importance of the boy child to our society and the world at large. The boy-child not only plays an important role; he would go on to become a man, husband, father, uncle, among other numerous roles.

As a society, we have over the years neglected the boy child, and they are left to figure things out themselves. While I’m not trying to make a comparison, it’s a known fact that much emphasis has been placed on the girl child. It’s important not to misconstrue my words as saying we should neglect the girl child, but to also remember that the boy child is an important fabric of society, and alongside the girl child, they grow to become the future of our society. Like one of my former teachers would say, they go pari passu.

Over the years, society has not helped in advancing the course of the boy-child; instead, it has placed enormous weight on the boy-child from a young age, and he’s left carrying such weight until the day he liberates himself, which has only happened to a few in the course of history. From a tender age, the boy-child has to “man up” or “act like a man”, and not as a human with two hands and blood running in his veins, amongst other features of a human being.

The boy-child learns from a young age that society doesn’t care about his existence until he’s able to break the shackles it has caged him with. One of the beliefs that has been reinforced over the years is that boy-child complaints should be dismissed or passed off as a joke. You accuse the boy-child of wrongdoing, and he’s told to pay no attention to fighting for justice since he did not commit the crime.

The nature of the boy child in an African society is so distinct and different from that of his counterparts in the world. The boy-child shouts at the top of his voice, but only the deaf are listening. Hence, the boy-child holds the saying “We go run am, na smalls” as the most reassuring thing he needs through a turbulent period.

It’s my wish that today is not just another day, but a day to celebrate and admonish the boy child. A day to reinforce our commitment towards training the boy child and equipping them to withstand what life throws at them.

To the boy-child, as you move through the lader of life, I offer the reassuring words, “We go run am, na smalls.” Always remember not to get boxed in by the confines of society and its expectations. Like the anthem of the famous red side of Merseyside, “Walk on with hope in your heart, and you will never walk alone.” There will be help when you need it most.

In his track Seven Lives, the legendary Segun Akinlolu (Beautiful Nubia) eulogizes you and salutes your doggedness and tenacity. I leave you with his words:

Seven goats, seven beads
Seven cowries, seven nuts
Seven lives—that’s what I’ve got. I’m an African boy.

Over sea, over land, over mountains, and in the wild
I’ll be brave, and I’ll be strong. I’m an African boy.

Happy International Day of the Boy Child!