THE SOFT MAN

ll while the world fell apart around you. To take hits without flinching. To sup

rison built by cultural expectations and reinforced by years of unspoken rules. "Man up." "Be stron

. He wrote about his fears, his doubts, his heartbreaks. He wrote about the times he wanted to cry

ote a letter to

ittle

e to have all the answers. You're not weak for needing love

but release. It was the grief of years lost to silence. He realized t

which African masculinity had been defined by colonial hangovers, military fathers, and religious guilt.

eagues looked puzzled. A few laughed. But others-the quiet ones, the tired-lookin

l, but it w

gined a circle of chairs in a quiet room-where men didn't have to impress anyone. Where they c

nd, the boy tripped and scraped his knee. Emeka rushed over. The

d, "It's okay to cry. That must hu

m-not just as a father, but as a man finally br