This year will go down in history as the year when we Jamaican men began the fight for male liberation. The time has come for all men, everywhere, to come together and free ourselves from oppression of any shape or form. First of all, we have to admit that we have been oppressed for centuries and it is time to break free. Women, be assured that we have not declared war against you. We only want to be free to be the best that we can be.

Men time now

Over the years, women around the world have banded and bonded together seeking liberation, presumably, from men. It is our turn now. We certainly do not want to be liberated from women. We want to be liberated by them so that we can love them freely. We want to be liberated from a past that says we are made of 'frogs and snails and puppy dogs' tails' while girls are made of 'sugar and spice and all that's nice.'

We want to be liberated from being called effeminate or 'Maama man' when we dare to show our softer side. We want to be free from a past that says we are tougher than a rock. We should be devoid of all emotions except love for women. We dare not let our feelings show. So, when we hurt we keep it on the inside. This leads some of us to turn to smoking, drinking and promiscuity and some of us even become violent.

We as brothers have internalised this oppression and we are even harder on each other when we let others know that we are hurting. Our male friends sometimes say to us. "Di man a gwaan like se him a woman. Man start cry like baby. Him little bit too soft." We then bottle our hurts then, one day like Kenny Rogers' Coward of the County, we resort to violence and let them have it all. All our pent up emotions spill over like a bottle of carbonated beverage that spills over when it is shaken vigorously and opened immediately after.

We want to be liberated from a past that says that we should not hit women, but it is all right for them to hit us. We do not want to hit them and we do not want them to hit us. There are times when, in movies and soap operas, women slap us in the face and we are expected to take it as if we have no feeling. We abhor that. We want to be free from those expectations.

Let me make it crystal clear. We do not want to hit or be hit. We have feelings too. We will no longer accept being treated as if we do not feel pain like females do. Nothing is wrong for us to cry when we are hurting. We do not want our pictures taken and publicised as if we have committed a crime because we dare to let our feelings show. Men, it is time to put our issues on the front burner. Let the talking begin!

I am, etc.,

Joejoe

Email your feedback to: joejoe@cwjamaica.com.