#BeFree Ballers Constructive Masculinity Dialogue

On the eve of Africa Day, a powerful wave of transformation swept through Katutura as the BeFree Ballers Constructive Masculinity Dialogue brought together young boys, community leaders, traditional voices, and healthcare advocates to confront the silent crisis of gender-based violence, mental health, fatherlessness, and toxic masculinity.

This dialogue, hosted at the Special Olympics Stadium in Katutura, created a rare, open space where boys could speak freely about the burdens they carry and the societal pressures that often go unaddressed.

Dr Byron Böck, a medical doctor and mental health advocate, reminded the young men:

“We all have issues, but we won’t change if we don’t address them early.”

An intergenerational panel included:

* Dr Byron Böck,

* James Itana, Director of Regain Trust,

* Lazarus Ndiilenga, Reproductive Health Advocate, and

* Tjarirove Ishmael Uandara, Ovaherero Traditional Leader.

Together, they delivered insights and lived experiences that challenged cultural taboos and called for a new kind of masculinity that is rooted in compassion, community, accountability, and healing.

James Itana opened with a reflection on the crisis of absent fathers, saying their absence contributes to the emotional detachment and harmful behaviours among young men. He shared his personal story of growing up without a father and how that experience inspired him to break the cycle and become a present, nurturing parent.

Turning to Otjiherero wisdom, Tjarirove Uandara taught the boys about Omakura, a traditional support system where young men care for and uplift one another. “Today, cultural practices like Omakura are dismissed as outdated,” he said, “but they are the very foundations of strength and brotherhood.”

Lazarus Ndiilenga brought a sobering truth: Namibia recorded over 6,000 new HIV cases last year, with 2,100 among youth and over 60% of them women. He pointed out that men often avoid testing due to fear or toxic norms around vulnerability.
“We say we’re too busy or too strong to seek help, but silence is costing us our lives,” he said. As co-founder of Tidy Tekkies, a shoe-cleaning business at the #BeFree Youth Campus, he offered N$20 off a shoe clean for anyone who got tested that day, turning awareness into action.

Meanwhile, Dr Böck urged the audience to normalise discussions about mental health, puberty, safe sex, and consent, issues often shrouded in silence and shame. He encouraged the boys to break generational cycles, especially the one of fatherlessness, noting that these cycles don’t end unless someone decides to.

The event became deeply personal when one participant quietly shared that he only knows his father from his birth certificate. He has never met him. It was a moment that underlined just how common, and painful, these stories are.

And yet, perhaps the most gripping testimony came from an inmate at the Windhoek Correctional Facility. Orphaned at age 10, he turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain. By 17, he was out of school and living on the streets. At 19, he committed murder.
Now, years into his sentence, he’s a writer and aspiring welder, passionate about sharing his story so that others can choose a different path. “My regrets,” he said, “are ignoring elders and abusing substances. But I’ve changed — and I want others to change too.”

The event also offered free HIV/STI testing, social work services, and reproductive health education, with social worker Emily Newaya encouraging the boys to seek help when needed. “Mental health professionals are here to listen, not judge,” she said.

To celebrate those creating change, we awarded the #BeFree Positive Impact Award to The Molding Programme, an initiative that uses innovative tools to empower boys and steer them away from negative influences. The programme received N$5,000 for its impact.