Mandem. 

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What does the word mean to you? 

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Unrecognised officially by the Oxford Dictionary, to some, it’s a perversion of the English language with roots in Jamaican Patois. A ‘made-up’ word, only utilised by hoodlums, criminals and gangs. A distasteful foreign ‘other’. 

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To some, Mandem means friend. It means ally. It means brotherhood. 

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You’re invited on a journey through the winding world of ordinary men. Told through the eyes of the Mandem, a grassroots men’s mental health organisation, stories of internal struggle are recounted through candid dialogue, honest memoir, and poetry – as the various men describe their lowest moments, and how it ultimately led them to one and other, and in doing so, forged an open community where others could seek belonging, kinship, and refuge.

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In this newly discovered space, they come upon a fiercely beautiful revelation; that by talking, connecting with nature, and sharing a battle through which they are unified – they can heal.

So suspend your judgements, and discard your expectations.

Come as you are, you’re welcome here.

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