TM Smoke Signals: Building The Nation. A read by Monica Kamandau

What does it really mean to “build the nation,” and who pays the price for that work?

In this Smoke Signals episode, Monica Kamandau reads Building the Nation by Ugandan poet Henry Barlow, a biting and darkly humorous poem that exposes the everyday hypocrisies of power, privilege, and sacrifice in postcolonial African states.

This reading lands powerfully in our current moment, where ordinary people are repeatedly told to endure hardship in the name of progress, stability, or patriotism.

Key Ideas and Highlights

Nation-building as performance, where power is exercised through routine and ceremony rather than service
The quiet violence of inequality hidden behind jokes, lunches, and official duties
Satire as resistance, and poetry as a mirror held up to political hypocrisy

Why This Poem Still Matters

Henry Barlow’s Building the Nation remains painfully relevant across Africa and beyond. It challenges listeners to question who benefits from the language of sacrifice, and whose hunger is normalised in the process.

Monica Kamandau’s reading brings fresh urgency to the poem, inviting us to reflect on leadership, accountability, and the everyday cost of governance.

Credits

Poem: Building the Nation by Henry Barlow (Uganda).
Reader: Monica Kamandau.
Producer: Rodgers George.

Licensing

Anyone can use this podcast for free, with attribution to Troublemakers (the podcast). It is held under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License and can be used for radio or any other media. The Beautiful Trouble toolbox inspires our podcast.

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