Africa: Inside a Game Challenging Masculinity

What the report says

AllAfrica reports from Mombasa, Kenya, on a YouthHubAfrica session built around “Level Up,” a card game designed to encourage men to talk about masculinity, consent, mental health, intimacy and bodily autonomy. The article says the game was presented at a gathering of sexual and reproductive health and rights practitioners, where even a simple prompt about asking before physical touch sparked discussion and laughter rather than conflict.

The session was led by Olusegun Medupin, YouthHubAfrica’s deputy executive director for programmes and operations, who said male engagement in preventing gender-based violence is becoming more common, but that men often need safer, less judgmental spaces before they will speak openly. The report describes how his team found that men are often more vocal in casual settings such as football viewing centres than in formal meetings, and used that insight to shape the game.

According to the article, Level Up has four main card categories focused on mental health, consent and intimacy, bodily autonomy, and real-life ethical dilemmas. It also includes “joker” cards that let players skip a question or revisit an earlier comment. The publisher presents the game as a way to replace lectures with conversation and to help men reflect on norms such as toughness, emotional silence and what it means to be a “real man.”