“There is a new man in South Africa. A man who takes responsibility for his actions. A man who chooses a single partner over multiple chances with HIV. A man whose self-worth is not determined by the number of woman he can have. A man who makes no excuses for unprotected sex, even after drinking. A man who supports his partner and protects his children. A man who respects his woman and never lifts a hand to her. A man who knows that the choices we make today will determine whether we see tomorrow. I am that man and you are my brother,” declared the brand manifesto of Brothers for Life.
The men’s rally took place at Ellis Park Stadium on 24 August. Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, as chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council, was the main spokesperson present, voicing his message through a microphone that echoed through the stadium as the men listened. The intent of the men’s rally was a firm stand against the outrageous statistics of rape, gender-based violence and child abuse, but also to birth a new name for the men of South Africa by changing their behaviour. Motlanthe stated, “It is wonderful to be a human being; it is terrible to be a man”, shedding some light on the challenge of being a man in today’s day and age. It is time for a new man to rise from the ashes, and this is the main objective of the Brothers for Life campaign.
A declaration was made by a mass of men and government officials that signed their name in public, proclaiming a new unifying brotherhood with humble hands and a good heart. It is this significance that Zanenza Communications, based in Randburg, worked tirelessly to communicate. Brothers for Life’s logo displays manly affection in a handshake, where one hand washes the other of a brother, and stands for what is right, what is good, reflecting the new man with a new identity and a new name.
