'We don't talk about it': African politician says childcare is not only for women

Sierra Leone education minister, David Moinina Sengeh has gone viral after sharing an image of himself carrying his 10-month-old daughter, Peynina. 

The image was captured during a Zoom meeting and sharing it via Twitter the minister asked others to "share with the world how you worked from home as a leader." 

Receiving immediate praise, Sengeh urged people not to consider his actions as special in any way because it's what women do daily. 

"Many women do this daily, but it is so normalised that we don't talk about it at all. If it was my wife who did it, then this would not have been a viral tweet," he said in an interview with the BBC. 

Explaining further about what motivated him to post the picture, Sengeh said it was a very intentional attempt on his part to do away with negative stereotypes about gender roles in his country. 

"I have friends who have never ever changed a diaper, and they have several children, and they don't even understand how that is possible," he said, adding that his image "forces men to think about themselves, it shows them that it is possible to take care of their child."

Sengeh's tweet was met with an outpour of responses, and many fathers were happy to share how they worked from home while caring for their kids.

Clearly, his image hit the right mark! 

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