The term ‘Tyma’ is a slang word that means father or dad. The term is used to describe a male figure that you look up to. It is a sign of respect amongst men. This term became an important part of well-known business mogul and media personality TT Mbha’s journey as he noticed the increased pressures men often find themselves in. The aim is simple: to create a safe space for men to simply be men without the pressure of always having to seem like they have it all together.
We had an exclusive sit down with TT Mbha to talk about all things Amatyma.
Q: Amatyma is a movement that you started to create a safe space for men. Why is it important to you?
A: I started Amatyma in 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. I think we were all happy with the first two weeks of the lockdown. The reality started kicking in when the lockdown got extended. That meant that there was a financial strain on families because we were stuck at home not getting any money in while debit orders were going out. What then happened is that I found myself in a lot of conversations with men surrounding the different realities they faced during this trying time. These conversations had me thinking that other men are worse off, and I thought I would start a platform to encourage men to talk to each other because we were raised with the mentality that men don’t cry and that men do not show weakness which is why we have rising numbers of men committing suicide. Take Ricky Rick, HHP and Patrick Shai for example. These are men who were respected and known who took their own lives because it was too much to carry.
Q: What kind of man does the movement cater for?
A: It’s different types of men from the ages of 16 all the way to the age of 80. We cater to men who are blue collar workers, executives, gardeners, taxi drivers, and CEOs. It doesn’t matter what your title is. You are with us because you have a particular need and we are there to create a safe space for you to vent.
Q: What is the main focus of Amatyma?
A: The movement focuses on three types of pillars. The first one is physical wellness. Do you look after yourself? Do you exercise? Are you eating well? Are you looking after your skin? Do you get your nails done? Do you shave? Because the notion of men looking rough is old fashioned. The modern man takes care of himself. Under this pillar, we also talk about menstruation and the relationship between men and boys. We include gender based violence as well. Second pillar is mental wellness. This includes depression and anxiety. Things that men don’t like to talk about. It is still seen as embarrassing when a man comes and says he thinks he is depressed. We have found that the more you bottle up, the weaker you become as a man. The more you speak to other men, the more you let go. The last pillar we talk about is financial wellness. We talk about legacy building, debt management, financial literacy. We teach men the importance of having a will.
Q: You took to social media with a menstruation care package that you bought your daughters, why is it important for girls and their fathers to start having conversations around the stigma of this task belonging only to mothers?
A: My daughters are eight and eleven years old, and I’ve already had the talk about menstruation with them. You know why? Because we are friends. I bought them a happy pack with sanitary pads, chocolates and sweets to make them feel comfortable when that time of the month comes. As a man, you should not be happy with being a bystander and not being active when the time for such conversations arrives. We are changing the way we raise our children and so we as men are also being part of the conversations around menstruation. We are pushing men to speak to the boy child about menstruation. It’s weird right? But when a girl goes on her period, it’s the boy child who bullies her. This is because he doesn’t understand. The boy child needs to know and understand the girl child better. We need to teach the boy child to respect the girl child and you will have less cases of bullying at schools. The narrative that men are trash will not change until men prove that they are not trash.
Q: What does this year’s event look like?
A: This year, we are hosting the event at two places. On the 18th, we will be at the Platinum Belt Lounge in Umhlanga, KZN and on the 19th, we are heading to Disoufeng in Soweto. The theme is suits and sneakers. It is the second official event after the first successful one hosted in 2022We are doing it across different provinces. We have a variety of brands who have partnered with us this year to talk about financial and mental wellness amongst other important topics. We will also have a wine tasting pairing session over a four-course meal. Tickets are selling at R400 and R500 respectively. The first 100 men to arrive at each venue will receive a goodie bag to the value of R1000.
Follow the Amatyma movement on Instagram and Facebook.
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