SNAKE IN A POT

Architects don’t like being called engineers.     The not so patient ones will look at your with an eye that is literally translated ‘how dare you insult me?’      The more social ones will take time off to explain their role and why they should not be confused with the lesser profession of engineering.    In the professions of the built environment, not so many of us take this seriously. It is mostly banter.       However, there is another group of people in the building industry that really wind up architects when they call themselves ‘architects’.     It is the draftsmen or technicians.     Most architects are fed up with these people using their title.     So what really upsets architects when technicians and/or draftsmen call themselves ‘architects?’ You see the title ‘architect’ is protected by law in this country and an institution that I lead, the Architects Registration Board, is supposed to ta...

Call it partnering, helping or sharing, husbands or men tending to domestic chores is still considered a very unfamiliar subject and almost a taboo in some parts of the world.  As a man who has not only shared housework with my wife but also worked as a full time househusband for over 3 years, I can understand why most men, not only in Africa will find unease in supporting or even debating the idea of a man attending to housework.  By nature, men are brought up to be macho, to provide for the family and only take the tasks that require a lot of strength.  That’s why some men are scolded for crying.  We are not meant to be soft.  There is nothing African or backward about this.  It is what is expected in all patriarchy societies. In Europe, probably the most advanced continent on this planet, the Irish are just trying to get rid of a clause in the constitution that specifically made reference to the kitchen or home being t...