Dr. Manyire opened the discussion by describing how men and women in Uganda have been socialized to understand their individual roles as men and women.  Dr. Manyire stated men lack emotional intelligence, the ability to nurture a baby, and self-reliance simply because it has not been developed or nurtured within them.  His evidence for the fact that men lacked self-reliance was based on the fact that women often outlive men.  He went on to claim that men were never socialized to resolve conflict which leads to violence and drug use.  Dr. Manyire believes the concept of male identity is also heavily tied to material masculinity.  In Uganda men have “command over resources”.  Men are the ones who hold land rights, control labor, and determine how to sell what women produce. Men in Uganda also have more opportunity for a materially independent life as education is reserved for men above girls, and are able to independently generate higher incomes. Masculinity is socially constructed and internalized.  While boys are encouraged to freely explore, learn and play, girls are told all of the things they are not allowed to do. Manyire believes the only way to overcome harmful internalized masculinities is to first identify them. After sharing this, he looked to the crowd and asked, “Are we learning to unlearn?”  He concluded his lecture by contrasting femininity and masculinity.  “Femininity is like tying somebody’s legs, shackling them, and then saying you have an equal right to run.”

For the second half of the lecture, Professor Tamale urged the crowd as part of the feminist movement to focus more on incorporating men. She criticized the feminist movement as being short-sight mainly depicting men as oppressors and females as victims.  African men also need to be empowered for gender justice. Tamale declared, “Gains by women have happened not because of but in spite of men…There has been very little change in African men over the last six decades. We must pay more attention to changing the male psyche.” She made the excellent point that the masculinity is in crisis. Tamale went on to say men need all male spaces to discuss and redefine masculinity just as women need all female spaces to dialogue and redefine femininity. 

The lecture incited lively participation by a packed lecture hall of both men and women.  The event was a great challenge for audience members to begin changing the conversation around gender, and begin reconstructing how we understand ourselves and socialize the next generation.