Poems for the Penniless

Summary

"These poems were written at different times in different circumstances but at all times giving vent to personal anguish and political anger. Poems are clustered under several headings to provide a context. The majority of the poems were written originally in Kiswahili. The Kiswahili originals are followed by English translations . The few poems in English have, however, not been translated into Kiswahili. In the first section, the author expresses personal agony at the loss of close comrades while taking stock of their political contributions. The second section 'They have robbed us', is about the robberies of the freedom of the people of Tanzania, its resources and dignity of the people as the country transitioned from the nationalist to the neoliberal phase. The third section. 'Hopes and Fears', is a collection of short poems tweeted over the contemporary period of five or so years, now throwing up hands in despair, often betraying fear and occasionally expressing hope in the immanent human capacity to struggle for freedom. The final section are poems reflecting on a period spent living in a posh area of Cape Town, South Africa, a first hand experience of the death of (racist) apartheid and its reincarnation in the form of (classist) neo-apartheid."-- Source: Publisher