Nigerian singer, Simi Kosoko, popularly known as Simi has shared her thoughts on men being open about their feelings and expressed her admiration for vulnerability.
Simi confessed that she finds it attractive when men key into their vulnerable side instead of bottling their feelings up.
“I find it beautiful when men cry because I am surrounded by so many men that feel like they have to be macho all the time or they have to be strong.”
Simi
The singer highlighted how societal expectations often pressure men to always appear strong and tough.
She then stressed that it’s okay for men to support their loved ones while also showing their emotions.
“When you see men and women go through the same kind of pain or hurt, the man says, ‘I have to be strong for my wife or for my women or kids.’ I think that’s okay, but I don’t think strength means not being vulnerable or not crying.”
Simi
She encouraged men to express their emotions openly, suggesting that it fosters healthier relationships and personal well-being.
“I like it when men cry because it means that you feel safe with who you’re with, you can be vulnerable, and you can let go. That’s how I see it because as an African woman, I have seen African men be like, ‘I’m the protector, I’m the provider, I’m the warrior,’ but I feel like if it’s not coming out in your tears, it’s going somewhere.”
Simi
“Even if it’s like a little ball inside your heart, one day you’re just going to explode,” she added.
Simi’s remarks resonate with her belief in the importance of authenticity and emotional honesty, challenging traditional gender norms that restrict men from showing vulnerability.
Her stance promotes a more inclusive and empathetic understanding of masculinity, advocating for emotional expression as a strength rather than a weakness.
Singer in Shock Kenyans Don’t Understand ‘Pidgin English’
Afrobeats singer, Simi recently shared a fascinating experience about Kenya.
She revealed that during a trip to Kenya, she was surprised to discover that not all Africans speak ‘Pidgin English’, a dialect she assumed was universally understood across the continent.
While collaborating with a Kenyan artist, she was asked to translate her pidgin lyrics, leaving her taken aback.
“I went to Kenya years ago, and we were supposed to do a remix of my song with a Kenyan artist, and then there is a lot of pidgin in the song. They asked me to write my lyrics down and then ask, ‘Can you translate?’ and I go, ‘What the fuck do you mean to translate? It’s English. It’s pidgin, but it’s English.’”
Simi
This encounter was a culture shock for Simi, as she had assumed Pidgin English was a common language among Africans.
She humorously recalled thinking, “Are we not the same?”
“Before then, I had thought that everybody in Africa could speak pidgin the way we speak pidgin, so that was a culture shock for me. I thought these were our people; are we not the same?”
Simi
Simi also shared that her 4-year-old daughter, Adejare, has picked up some pidgin from her and her husband, Adekunle Gold, and often uses it to ask questions or engage in playful conversations.
“My daughter even started speaking pidgin by herself because we speak it around her, to our friends. So sometimes she would be like, ‘Wetin you do o’ and I love that because you need to have a gossip language around people.”
Simi
READ ALSO: Professor Abor Advocates for Carbon Taxes to Boost Climate Action