This June, as we mark Men’s Mental Health Month, we’re confronted not just with statistics or awareness campaigns, but with the raw, painful truth of a real human story, the kind that forces us to pause and feel. It is the story of Boniface Mwangi, a man known for his courage on the streets, his fire in activism, and now, for a rare, unfiltered vulnerability that deserves our collective attention.
After traveling to Tanzania to stand in solidarity with Tundu Lissu, Boniface was arrested, blindfolded, taken to a secret location, stripped, and sexually assaulted. It’s a sentence that is difficult to write. Even harder to imagine. But Boniface chose to speak it, to name what happened, and in doing so, he broke the silence that imprisons so many men.
In a world where masculinity is still tied to stoicism and silence, where tears are swallowed and trauma buried, Boniface’s voice became an act of defiance — a powerful reminder that strength is not in hiding our wounds, but in daring to reveal them.
Too often, men suffer in the shadows. Fear, shame, and stigma silence them. And when they do speak up, especially about something as taboo as sexual violence, they’re met with disbelief or cruel jokes. But Boniface refused to shrink. He chose honesty over image. Pain over pretence.
His story is not just about what was done to him- it’s about what he chose to do with it. He reminded us that even the most outspoken among us can carry unspeakable pain. That behind every brave face might be a battle no one sees.
This isn’t just about Boniface. It’s about the countless men who’ve never told their stories. Who lie awake at night with panic attacks they don’t know how to name. Who flinches at touch. Who carry trauma as a secret weight, masked by anger or silence. For them, Boniface’s truth matters. It matters deeply.
At the East Africa Wellness Hub and in the Community, we want to do more than applaud him. We want to hold him, and every man like him, in a space of warmth, compassion, and fierce love. We want our community to be a place where men don’t have to be anything but human, where they can tremble and still be strong. Where they can cry and still be seen. Where they can say, “I need help,” and be met with, “We’re here.”
Boniface Mwangi
We see you.
We hear you.
We honor your courage.
Thank you for bravely sharing your pain with us and for challenging repressive and retrogressive cultural norms that silence so many. Your vulnerability is not just a personal act of healing- it is a powerful invitation to others.
You gave us permission to speak.
To feel.
To break.
To heal.
You cracked open a door-not just for yourself, but for countless men who have been afraid to name their pain, to confront it, and to begin the journey toward wholeness.
Your voice is a light. Your pain, shared, becomes a bridge. And your truth makes space for transformation.
We stand with you.
To every man reading this: You don’t have to carry it alone. You deserve to be loved, to be listened to, to be held, not just in moments of joy, but especially in your moments of unraveling. Vulnerability is not your weakness; it is your humanity. And it is beautiful.
This Men’s Mental Health Month, let’s do more than wear blue ribbons or post hashtags. Let’s sit with each other. Let’s ask, “How are you, really?” Let’s create spaces that welcome tears as much as laughter. Let’s teach our sons that strength isn’t in silence, it’s in truth.
And to Boniface: thank you for leading with your heart. May your healing be deep, may your courage ripple wide, and may you always know, you are not alone.