2023 Men’s Conference tackles mental health

What has been held as a myth and just a social media fad by many came into reality on Friday as Castel Malawi held a physical Men’s Conference in Malawi.

Leading up to the event, the venues of the event, which simultaneously took place in the three cities of Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu were kept a secret, but many people believed the events would take place following persistent announcements from hosts, Castel Malawi.

In Blantyre, the Doppel Men’s Conference took place at Lotus Hotel in Namiwawa. Business people, corporate players and Castel Malawi clients were in attendance. On the agenda were fun and games which saw winners walk away with Doppel beer branded materials.

There was also a lecture on mental health by psychologist Dr Chiwoza Bandawe and a business talk which was presented by chief executive officer and founder of information and communications technology company iMoSyS Maya Nkoloma. There was also endless flow of Doppel beer and an exciting buffet during the conference.

Castel Malawi’s communications manager Stanley Chiyola said as a company they believe in creating fun for people and giving back to their consumers. He said they wanted to have a real conference premised on what has always been talked about on the social media as a fantasy.

“People have always referred to this imaginary conference, but we wanted to do an actual one. The reason was to bring people together. Doppel is a beer for men, so we wanted to use this brand to bring men together to have fun and talk about real issues that affect their lives,” he said.

Chiwola said as a brand they are not just focused on the products they sale, but they also care about the well-being of their consumers; hence, incorporating the sessions about business and mental health which is affecting a lot of men in the country.

He said: “We brought in speakers to talk about business and mental health. Men hold a lot of responsibility. If you look at the data, it is men who are mostly committing suicide. Bringing in these speakers was one way of letting them know that they are not alone in whatever they are going through.”

Chiwola said they have been impressed with the response they received and they plan is to make it an annual event.

On his part, Nkoloma said the conference served a good purpose to make men aware of how to deal with the challenges they face in a more responsible manner than seeking the easy way out.

“The statistics show that suicide and mental health issues are is common among men. Men are expected to do a lot and that puts them under pressure. Unfortunately men are timid beings and are unable to share their experiences when faced with such adversity. This platform was perfect for making them open up on problems they face,” said Nkoloma.