Positive News devoted the whole of their July issue to de-coding the new masculinity and abob featured in the form of an interview with Chief Exec, Nathan Roberts.
He really does emphasise the much-needed point that men need to have a space where they can express themselves emotionally, and that is what abob provides. “I don’t think there are many places in westernised societies where men are encouraged to be vulnerable, emotionally expressive. I grew up in a very tough village, where the way you gained your place in the hierarchy was by how quickly you could shame people. It was a culture of tearing each other down; physical posturing; intimidation.
There are very narrow definitions of what it is to be a man. When I was growing up, it wasn’t safe for me to admit that I felt scared, sad or lonely. For me to be of use to other men, I had to transform and break through that conditioning myself.”
Great photos by abob member, Casey Moore.