International Men’s Day |18 November 2023
Men’s achievements and contribution celebrated through fair
To commemorate International Men’s Day on Sunday, November 19, under the theme ‘Zero Male Suicide’, the Family department hosted a Men’s fair comprising 25 groups of men and women from different government departments, agencies and non-governmental organisations.
The aim of the fair was to display the men’s achievements and contributions, talk about their challenges and how to overcome them. It was also an opportunity for the partners to promote the positivity of Seychellois men, so they could be seen as role models for other young boys and men.
Through their networking, the participants engaged in positive conversation to raise awareness and improve gender relations and promote gender equality.
The Family department has adopted the national theme of ‘Honour the Role of Men in the Family’ (Onor Rol Zonm dan Lafanmir), in line with the ongoing national themes of ‘Mon Fanmir, Mon Leker’ and ‘Coexistence in peace and harmony’.
The fair which was attended by people from all walks of life, including school children, was opened by the Minister for Youth, Sports and Family, Marie-Celine Zialor. In her address, the minister said that in relation to the theme, the ministry will be launching an aggressive campaign to look not only at the physical aspects of men and young boys in the country, but also look at their mental and emotional well-being, to help prevent attempted suicides or suicides.
She called on all men’s organisations to join the ministry’s platform and help in promoting the male positive image in the country and reverse the negative trend that exists.
Mrs Zialor noted the ministry has taken a co-existence approach to promote and organise activities for men, women, boys and girls and called on both genders to ensure they co-exist.
For his part, the chairman of the Men’s Association of Seychelles, Charles Zialor, stated that although men and boys in the country tend to have a negative image, many of them are very positive in their doings and should be recognised as a valuable resource in society.
He noted that while men tend to put on a brave face and keep their emotions to themselves, they should be encouraged to express themselves, to steer clear of developing suicidal tendencies.
Mr Zialor commended the men and boys who were setting good examples and for their positive contributions.
The ceremony saw performances by male group ‘Zezi vre Zonm’, followed by reflection by a member, Roger Alphonse. There was also the performance of three songs by La Rosière primary school, a traditional dance by a youth group from the Seychelles National Youth Council (SNYC) and a poem ‘Mesaze Lanmour’ (Love messenger) recited by poet Andrea Mounac.
Childminder Gabriel Victor and assistant manager at Land Marine Ltd, Abison De Giorgio, also came forward to give testimonies on their successes and challenges in their role as males in the society. They stated that men should come forward in a positive way to be able to surmount the negative impact and difficulties they face daily.
The accompanying photos show highlights of the fair.
Text & photos by Patrick Joubert
