Beards may be to men what makeup is to women, but the stubble on the men’s faces can be a deceptive image that conceals their fragility – creating an impression of stoicism and a macho culture. However, the susceptibility of men to common ailments was thrust to the fore during the University of Johannesburg (UJ)’s Men’s Day event on Wednesday, 21 November 2018.
The event annually celebrates the month of Movember the funny way, and is marked by some men growing their facial hair during the month of November to raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, depression, alcohol and substance abuse, relationships and social issues as well as men’s suicide. The frank conversation is something men generally do not do in workplaces, and is aimed at improving their health.
With jokes by Comedians Mark Banks and Davie Levinsohn on some of thorny topics such as health check-ups, sex talks with partners, excessive alcohol intake, it was easier to talk about some of the problems that contribute to men’s mortality rates.
Dr Dulcy Rakumakoe, CEO: U-care Medical Centre, also shared her experiences and statistics on the prevalence of health problems contributing to relationship glitches, deaths, and the use of traditional and Western medicine in certain practices. Not only are they motivated to find out about their family medical history and go for medical checks, but also to familiarise themselves with unusual changes to their bodies and reach out for help if needed.