In the month of February, the Ashesi community hosted a series of forums on relationships, communication and general self-conduct dubbed “Man to Man”. The discussions were an accompaniment to a similar session held last semester for female members of the community. The discussions were aimed at unearthing the challenges faced by males in relationships, such as dealing with verbal abuse from a partner or maintaining self-control in a heated discussion. The discussions allowed students to discuss healthy solutions to dealing with these challenges.
The facilitators for the discussion included staff members Alex Inkoom and Eli Tetteh, as well as faculty members Andrew Nunekpeku and Anthony Essel-Anderson. The students who participated expressed the general sentiment that the forum was helpful and worthwhile. One student who took part, Akwasi Amo-Addai, remarked that “It was really surprising the way [the faculty and staff] were relating to us that night. It made us able to open up and express ourselves better.”
The interactive discussions covered topics which some students were already familiar with. “I didn’t hear anything I hadn’t heard before but I was given a deeper insight on some of these things,” said Christopher Crabbe, a first year student. “I wouldn’t ever [hit a woman], but now I understand better why not.” Other students commended Ashesi’s administration for taking the initiative to organise such a program and expressed their desire that “Man to Man” would become a regular event on Ashesi’s calendar.