Whilst something of an idyllic praise song of Promundo's work and one man's journey towards fatherhood - this father-wound to fatherhood tale certainly repeats itself in Dominican men's narratives of fatherhood.
Determined like Marco and others in his community not to do to their children as their fathers did unto them, many men in Dominica are keen to share their stories of fathering - for which they receive little public recognition - with me, an ethnographer, and learn more about becoming a good father in the small number of father's discussion sessions CariMAN Dominica have held in conjunction with various secondary schools and Dominica Planned Parenthood island-wide.
This very word - determination - to become the image of the fathers they often didn't have, renders a large portion of the contemporary generation of men in Dominica as receptive as Marco and his peers in their engagement in such discussions. However in Dominica, distrust and suspicion of others in your community who might maliciously 'speak your business' to others in defamatory ways and use any personal disclosures against you, renders many men weary of engaging in such discussions. However, when the setting is right and the atmosphere a comfortable one, discussion can be fruitful and participants overcome such doubt.
PROMUNDO's website:
http://www.promundo.org.br/en/about-us/introduction/
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