"women don’t truly advance, they compensate."

The Vanishing Man at the Festival

Attend a Kikuyu festival these days and you’ll notice a curious sight. There are women everywhere radiant, organized, entrepreneurial, and exuberant. They’ve set up the stalls, arranged the performances, and are running the show. The air hums with color, laughter, and self-confidence. Now, look around for the men. Go on, I’ll wait...

There might be a handful wandering about ,shoulders slouched, phone in hand, glancing at their watches. But largely, the men are gone. The cultural space that once echoed with their laughter, debate, and song has been ceded. The women have shown up in force. The men have, quite literally, checked out.

And, as always, nature and culture abhor a vacuum.

"men have done what sinners do best..."

A Festival of Imbalance

The Kikuyu festival was once a living symbol of shared heritage, some would argue. It was where men would lead dances, teach proverbs, pass on traditions, and celebrate the community’s continuity. It wasn’t perfect, but it was participatory.

Now, it’s beginning to resemble a talent show of unanchored empowerment — a place where women are encouraged to take the stage because the men won’t. The tragedy is that this is sold as progress. We celebrate the fact that women are “taking over,” while never stopping to ask why they had to. The uncomfortable truth is that when men retreat, women don’t truly advance, they compensate. They fill a space that was meant to be shared, not abandoned.

"....when you tell men they’re unnecessary for too long. They start to believe you..."

When the Shepherds Wander Off

This is not just a cultural problem; it’s a theological one. God designed men to be present — to take responsibility, to lead with humility, and to bear the weight of provision and protection.

But in our modern world, the very traits that make men necessary have been treated as if they were diseases. Strength is now “toxic.” Leadership is “patriarchy.” Conviction is “control.” And so, men have done what sinners do best — they’ve taken the path of least resistance.

If society tells you that your leadership is oppressive, you’ll eventually sit down and stop leading. And when the shepherds wander off, the sheep don’t suddenly become shepherds — they simply scatter.

"True empowerment doesn’t erase men; it requires them."

The Gospel According to the Empowered Booth

You’ll find this gospel preached at almost every modern Cultural event: You can do it yourself. You don’t need men. You don’t need fathers. You don’t need covering. You don’t need that old “patriarchal nonsense.”

And yet, the women who carry this gospel are tired. The burden of holding up a community alone is not freedom; it’s fatigue. It’s the exhaustion of taking on a role that was never meant to be carried solo. The irony is rich: the modern woman is told she’s empowered, but what she’s really doing is cleaning up the mess left by men who stopped caring.

The cry in the recent past we've heard, isn't something that came up from the blues, but by design. This is what happens when you tell men they’re unnecessary for too long. They start to believe you  and then prove you right by disappearing.

And that’s the cultural hinge. Our civilization ,whether in KwaZulu-Natal, or Murang’a County, has spent years training men to be spectators instead of stewards. We’ve educated them out of duty and entertained them out of discipline. We’ve mocked masculine virtue until only the caricature remains.

"Our festivals are not revivals. "

Real Empowerment, Biblical Order

Let me be clear: there’s nothing wrong with women thriving. The Proverbs 31 woman was an empire builder. But her excellence didn’t flourish in the absence of men, it flourished under the blessing of order. Blessing from the one who ordained the order.

True empowerment doesn’t erase men; it requires them. The world says freedom comes when roles are blurred. Scripture says joy comes when they’re fulfilled. The former produces chaos; the latter produces music. And the Kikuyu festival, once a chorus of community, is starting to sound like a solo.

"........there is no salvation in tradition or tribal nostalgia."

So, What do we do?

Preach the gospel. Remind men of a Savior who forgives sins and calls them to holiness. Keep them accountable, welcome them to church and be part of a sound biblical community, encourage them to marry in the Lord, remind them Christ commands them to lead society in humility, to treat all women as bearers of God’s image, and to serve as protectors, not passengers.

Remind our culture that there is no salvation in tradition or tribal nostalgia. Our festivals are not revivals. Depending on our culture alone is returning to the same ditch over and over again — with no hope of rescue.

Our festivals don’t need more noise or more men attending. They need redemption. Our society needs men who show up not to dominate, but to serve under Christ, the true and better Man, who never retreated, never abdicated, and never left His bride to fend for herself.