28 Aug 2026

Monna ga a lele, translated in English to mean, men do not cry, is a familiar phrase in Botswana, often passed from one generation to the next as a lesson in strength.

But Ms Gina Moabi’s winning article argues that the lesson may come at a cost.

Her piece, Beyond Toughness: Raising Boys Who Feel, Heal, and Lead, was recently named first place winner in Right for Education Africa’s (R:Ed) weekly Author Spotlight, drawing attention to the emotional wellbeing of boys and the expectations placed on them from an early age.

At the heart her argument, Ms Moabi questions what happens when boys are taught to hide emotions instead of understanding them.

“Emotions among men and boys are often overlooked rather than addressed and openly discussed,” she said.

For her, the issue is bigger than whether boys are allowed to cry. It is about the messages they receive regarding what it means to be a man, messages that can encourage them to suppress vulnerability rather than recognise and process their emotions.

She wrote the article to encourage parents and caregivers to raise boys who can acknowledge and heal from hurt while developing the compassion, emotional awareness and responsibility needed to lead.

“It is a topic that can capture a reader’s attention because it challenges a belief that has become deeply rooted in our culture,” she said.

That cultural expectation of toughness can begin early. Boys may be encouraged to ‘be strong’, told not to cry or expected to deal with difficult emotions without talking about them.

Mr Moabi’s article challenges parents and caregivers to reconsider those lessons, suggesting that emotional expression should not be treated as a weakness but as part of healthy development.

The conversation is particularly significant because discussions about emotional wellbeing have often focused more heavily on girls and women, leaving boys and men with fewer spaces to openly discuss vulnerability.

For Ms Moabi, writing about the issue also became a way of turning an everyday cultural message into a broader conversation.

Her recognition came after a period in which she had begun questioning whether her writing was reaching people.

“I was beginning to doubt whether the messages I was trying to share were reaching people the way I intended and whether my work was truly making a contribution to the community,” she said.

The Author Spotlight recognition reassured her that the conversation was worth having. “I was elated. The recognition was a great encouragement and reminded me that my efforts were making a difference,” she said.

R:Ed is a nonprofit organisation that provides free, accessible educational content online, turning complex information into knowledge people can use. Its Botswana Chapter was launched in the second half of last year, with writers from across the country invited to contribute.

Ms Moabi was later selected as a volunteer and has mainly written about home and family, insights and health.

Her latest recognition however, she says, has given her an added push to explore other genres of writing.

For now, her most important contribution may be the conversation her winning article has started, that raising boys to be strong should not mean teaching them to hide what they feel. ENDS