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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Arts & Culture
Since the start of the global recession, The Bahamas has been gripped by a crime wave. Brutal acts of murder and rape have shocked and dismayed many. The violent crimes being committed in the country are almost exclusively the actions of males under the age of 36. There is no simple solution to crime in any society, nor is there a single cause for criminal behavior. However, it is widely believed that the absence of a positive father figure in the home and of male role models generally, contributes to male dysfunction. In The Bahamas, where most children are born out of wedlock and most live with just one parent, normally the mother, this factor seems crucial. But is that all there is to it? This documentary entitled "I's Man", produced and directed by Bahamian Dr. Ian Gregory Strachan, explores the issue of manhood in a Caribbean nation at a crossroads. It delves deeply into the dynamics of Bahamian family relations, relations that contribute to male absenteeism in the home. It seeks to discover the degree to which violent behavior in males can be linked to the Bahamian notion of masculinity and to the roles males play or fail to play in the lives of their sons, brothers, wives, daughters, sisters and friends. The film will screen on Thursday, October 3rd at Galleria, JFK. How does a boy learn to be a man? What does it mean to be a man in the Caribbean? What role does a mother play in rearing a son? How does one know how to be a father or husband if one has never seen one close up? How do media and social constructions of gender affect male identity formation? By way of interviews with experts and the personal stories of interviewees, the film tries to answer what is arguably one of the most intriguing questions facing Bahamians in the 21st century: “What, if anything, is wrong with our men?” Sociologists, psychologists, pastors, counselors, educators, and ordinary citizens from a range of age groups and social backgrounds give their take. The film strives to be balanced and thorough; not to demonize men but to get at the truths of the male experience in a rapidly changing post-colonial society. Marital rape, homosexuality, machismo, crime, race, class, patriarchy, urbanization and media are all discussed in engaging interviews. Learn more about the film at www.facebook.com/IsManMovie
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