Cry Like a Boy: Meet the African Musicians Using Their Voices for Social Change

Cry Like a Boy is a podcast dedicated to promoting gender equality across Africa and changing notions about masculinity. Covering encounters from Burundi to Senegal, the podcast used music as a key means of underscoring its message. Five artists used their voices to support important change. Yves Kami’s music is featured in the first two episodes of the podcast Cry Like a Boy on the Abatangamuco, a group of men who one day decided they had to stop abusing their wives and are now promoting a gender equality revolution in Burundi. Sahad sings in multiple languages that emphasise humanity and share a message of love and tolerance. The music and the message fuse perfectly on podcast episode on the challenges facing gay men in Senegal, where they are shamed for being homosexual. Selimo Thabane’s music, at times sounds pessimistic, but is broken up with more cheerful jazz. He sings about the men in Lesotho who risk everything to dig for gold in clandestine and dangerous mines. Ba Cissoko’s music was used in the Cry Like a Boy podcast episode on African migrants’ struggle to get across Europe. FaithVonic is an Afro-pop singer from Liberia who uses her soulful voice as a way to heal and empower. She says as a survivor of sexual violence, she has struggled with her mental health but has used music as an escape.

SOURCE: EURO NEWS