Sonwabiso Ngcowa, one of FunDza’s writers and supporters, spoke at the opening. His speech follows:

Good evening ladies and gentlemen
Gooie naand dames and here
Molweni manene namanenekazi

I just greeted you in three of the eleven official languages of South Africa. If one of the three is not your mother tongue, please do not be offended. I realize that in South Africa many languages are spoken and South Africa is for all who live in it. I greet you all equally.

My name is Sonwabiso Ngcowa.

Before I start, I would like to acknowledge the key partnerships, those are partnership between Cover2Cover books, Sonke Gender Justice Network and The South African Development Fund. Thank you for your collaborative efforts to making sure that such a book as From Boys To Men is produced.

Please allow me to share a short personal story.

At one of the Freedom To Create workshops held at the Athol Fugard theatre here in Cape Town, a visiting professor asked the group, the eleven of us where I was the only guy, to write about the parts of our bodies we thought were important. And, we all started writing. The professor asked me to read my list first and I happily read:

My arms / my hands/ my legs my feet/ and because this was a professor I threw in there the modular oblongata/ my mouth/ my stomach, very important.

After reading she asked me “Sonwabiso, is your penis not important? How would you pee that you have chosen to leave that out?”

A little shocked and surprised that this woman would say such a word, in a forum like that. I smiled. I beamed. Needless to say, that was the only photo that was sent from the organization in Singapore. She kept looking at me, waiting for an answer. I could not help but start laughing.

When she asked the young lady sitting next to me to read her list I excused myself to go to the bathroom. When I came back she was still asking the young women in the room about their very important body parts. There were no more excuses for me to be out the room. When I shared this with a friend of mine she said, “well, you could have just left”. I agree, I was not forced to be there. But, what would I be running away from, my body, talking about body parts? The professor’s bigger question was: What do writers write and what do they choose to leave out? Perhaps some things are much easier to write to write about than others. I left the theatre asking myself if it is ever possible to run away from the reality of our bodies. Perhaps I would like you to remember that as my sub theme for my little speech her tonight. Of course, the reason I am standing here tonight is to speak about the book,From Boys To Men.

To Dorothy Dyer and Londi Gamedze, after having worked with you and read the book I feel that through your work: – young people are not lectured about the many issues you speak about in the book From Boys To Men. But, young people are rather subtlety given the message in their own language. Language here referring to a style of talk that young people engage in and understand.  I learnt of your understanding that young people do not want to have a finger waved at them yelling instructions.

 To Helen Alexander, I thank her for the support and guidance roles she played in the book. It is beneficial to have added guidance in ensuring that we are steering the ship in the right direction. Her work does not go unnoticed indeed.

 I am aware that there are many people who contributed to the final product of From Boys To Men. Young South Africa thanks you too.

Allow me at this point to refer to an article that appeared in the South African Medical Journal vol. 102 no. 6, where one writer refers to the period where young people have sex for the first time as the “worse period”. This period does not have to be worse in a young person’s life, especially for now that we have a gathering like this, to celebrate not just a book launch but a unique book launch. One that deals with an issue that is there but many people are not as ready to talk about. This period does not have to be worse, for we have writers like Dorothy and Londi to shed light on some of the issues that young people are confronted with – this, done for young people again in their own language. I therefore kindly urge you ladies to please continue doing what you do. I feel privileged to be living in a country where people like you make the contribution that you do make

The writer of the article I referred to was concerned that young people engage in sexual activities even before or without having learnt about the benefits of traditional or medical male circumcision. I wish that a very high number of people read this book by the time they reach the age of sexual debut. I wish that the number of much younger people learning, in an age appropriate manor, about sex continues to grow before they start.

Tonight I would like to speak to you about:

–  culture
– about young people who are growing up to be men
– all of these link to the novel, From Boys To Men.

I would like to steer away from what the study of human sciences calls ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the judging of another culture solely by values and standards of one’s culture.

I wish to remain open to people’s practices. I wish to understand people’s practices and the choices that they make. If these choices and practices are not to harm the next person, I wish engage even more with understanding people’s ways.

 The Book:

From Boys To Men

The book speaks appropriately for young people of South Africa and of the world for that matter.
I saw Themba, yes, I saw him because the book is written in a way that generously offers visuals. What did I see him do?  I saw him trying to hurdle over tough challenges. I saw the three dimensional characteristics of a real human being in Themba, like me, like many other people younger than me, he has fears, he has strengths and he has weaknesses.

Dorothy, Londi, you have respected the reader so much that you have made it easy to follow Themba. It is easy because we can relate to another human being.

I saw Themba applying his mind to deep issues, the loss of a loved one, moving to a new place, having to be with a new group of people, gangs, sex, alcohol and many more of the things that this young person has to contend with.

Before I say anything on culture I would like to reference two people that studied culture.

The first is Edward B. Taylor. Taylor, for his work on the subject of culture earned the respect of being referred to as a representative of cultural evolutionism. Taylor defines culture as ‘that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, law custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

The second is Robert Thornton. Thornton in his paper “Culture: A Contemporary Definition” has a huge problem with the little ‘s’ added after the word culture to read or mean cultures. Thornton believes that we or humanity shares one culture that changes over time.

After having looked at culture, does it suffice to say I will not do a certain thing because it is not in my culture? Does it suffice even when doing such a thing means minimising risks? If our surroundings are constantly changing, should we not be proactive and look at the culture? After all, is humanity not after health and better health?

I mentioned health. The World Health Organisation defines health as the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Perhaps the environment has changed and we needed to respond to those changes. AIDS has come to add to the many challenges of humanity.

I would like to invite you to think about a three part question, all relating to the changing times. It is; part one: How effectively do humans adapt to the changing times? Many, many generations ago knew no HIV and AIDS. Part two: What are the challenges that come with the changing times? Part three: What role do I play when it is not by choice that change must happen? All these questions are inspired by the book, From Boys To Men. And, from reading the book I believe that we begin to understand why these questions are important.

The young man, Themba in the book From Boys To Men does not have a choice but to think about; does he respond to his immediate surroundings that have changed or to just follow Prince and his gang without even thinking.

Now I come to the point where I speak about young people growing up.

When I look at a young person growing up…

I have hope that:
He won’t grow up to be the man that causes havoc with his criminal activities in townships like Diepsloot on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
Or the man that beats up his wife in the suburbs like Rondebosch and we do not know until she dies because the property is fenced with a porch, a lawn and dogs barking – we don’t hear what happens inside that home.

 When I look at a young person growing up…

I have hope that:
He will not be the man that sleeps with many partners, all without a condom in the township of Masiphumelele where I am from.
Or the man that brings home different women in his Lamborghini to a mansion in Sandton, to have reckless sex with them all.

 I remain hopeful that:
This young person will grow up to be the man that realises the value of Ubuntu, that a person is a person through other people.

 I remain hopeful that:
He will grow up to be a responsible man.

 I remain hopeful that:
He will grow up be the man that embodies the characteristics of good human character, humble, a person you can trust, a good listener.

What does it mean to be a man? Perhaps I cannot fully answer this question alone, but we can. From Boys to Men, I have hope.

The approach of Medical Male Circumcision is not ethnocentric. Remember we said ethnocentrism is pointing at the practices of the next person and ridiculing them for they are not the same as yours. So the approach, if I understand it correctly; it is not to replace ulwaluko, the Xhosa initiation school or make it null and void. That is why I happily said yes to the invitation by Dorothy to offer commentary on the book.

 Thank you.