What do you think?
Rate this book
No Roses from My Mouth: Poems from Prison
Winner, 2020 Oxfam / Novib PEN International Award for Freedom of Expression
“Nyanzi is a hero. Her insistence on violating patriarchy’s rules by talking explicitly about taboo subjects—be they the president’s buttocks, sex, sexuality, queerness—should be studied everywhere as a masterclass in the power of refusing to obey the rules of “politeness.” - Mona Eltahawy, author of The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls
“Through her actions, Nyanzi has shown that fighting for a free, democratic and equal Uganda does not come free. [...] Her story is one that reminds Ugandans that the struggle for freedom has never been achieved by playing to the standards of civility set by those in power.” - Rosebell Kagumire, Editor, African Feminism
Stella Nyanzi was arrested on November 2, 2018 for posting a poem on Facebook that was said to cyber-harras the long-serving President of Uganda, Mr. Yoweri Museveni. She was convicted and sentenced to eighteen months in jail. At the date of publishing this poetry collection, Nyanzi remains incarcerated. She wrote all the poems in this collection during her detention. This arguably makes her the first Ugandan prison writer to publish a poetry collection written in jail while still incarcerated. The first batch of the poems was released on her 45th birthday on June 16, 2019 celebrated while she was in jail under the hashtag #45Poems4Freedom. Other poems were written after the birthday. These poems must be read not only for their beauty and the power of the poet's vision, but also for the bravery and radical intent of their writing and publishing.
“Nyanzi is a hero. Her insistence on violating patriarchy’s rules by talking explicitly about taboo subjects—be they the president’s buttocks, sex, sexuality, queerness—should be studied everywhere as a masterclass in the power of refusing to obey the rules of “politeness.” - Mona Eltahawy, author of The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls
“Through her actions, Nyanzi has shown that fighting for a free, democratic and equal Uganda does not come free. [...] Her story is one that reminds Ugandans that the struggle for freedom has never been achieved by playing to the standards of civility set by those in power.” - Rosebell Kagumire, Editor, African Feminism
Stella Nyanzi was arrested on November 2, 2018 for posting a poem on Facebook that was said to cyber-harras the long-serving President of Uganda, Mr. Yoweri Museveni. She was convicted and sentenced to eighteen months in jail. At the date of publishing this poetry collection, Nyanzi remains incarcerated. She wrote all the poems in this collection during her detention. This arguably makes her the first Ugandan prison writer to publish a poetry collection written in jail while still incarcerated. The first batch of the poems was released on her 45th birthday on June 16, 2019 celebrated while she was in jail under the hashtag #45Poems4Freedom. Other poems were written after the birthday. These poems must be read not only for their beauty and the power of the poet's vision, but also for the bravery and radical intent of their writing and publishing.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2020
15 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 7, 2025
This book opened my eyes to injustice in Uganda, as well as horrid conditions in the women's prison there--babies born in prison with no medical care or amenities. She calls out the dictator for his lies and murders. I especially like the poem about Museveni coated in menstrual blood. These poems speak to the immense violence enacted on Ugandans.
November 3, 2020
I feel like it's wrong to not love such a politically important book, but on a personal level I didn't love it. It was important, definitely, and possibly even important for some of the reasons I didn't love it.
December 31, 2020
Stella Nyanzi is a Ugandan activist, professor, and poet who was arrested in 2017 for writing a Facebook post criticizing Uganda's 34-year dictator Yoweri Museveni.
She writes vulgar poetry about the harsh realities of her womens' prison.
A very powerful individual and poet.
She writes vulgar poetry about the harsh realities of her womens' prison.
A very powerful individual and poet.
May 14, 2020
Sometimes a book can be very important without being very good.
June 13, 2020
Good one
February 5, 2021
Bravo to Dr Nyanzi
Kudos to Dr Nyanzi for fighting oppression with her truth and art. May change come through bravery of our women
Kudos to Dr Nyanzi for fighting oppression with her truth and art. May change come through bravery of our women
March 19, 2023
A powerful, angry voice of a woman who had enough about the way other ppl tried to rule over her autonomy and daily life.
She is the kind of woman who takes no prisoners and she needs it, still.
She is the kind of woman who takes no prisoners and she needs it, still.
February 8, 2020
In this poetry collection recorded and rescued from Luzira Women’s Prison, we’re placed inside the current life and thoughts of Dr Stella Nyanzi who has been detained in the penitentiary since November 2nd 2018.
Nyanzi reaches deep into the abyss of how corrupted political and economic power structures are within the confines of Luzira plus how they are aided externally.
She does this while colorfully discussing the lives of inmates (most of whom she pledges solidarity to), wardresses (most of whom she detests), afandes (like wardresses), visitors (whom she appreciates) and everyone else she‘s met along the tracks during her time in Luzira Women’s Prison.
Filled with emotion and defiance to autocracies, like all poetry offerings from Nyanzi are, we read about how extensively degraded women’s prisons are in terms of their physical and psychological conditions.
Her poems titled “Kitintale Fills Up Again” and “Born Again Chaos” made me weep as well as her other poems about menstrual discomfort and the insanitary conditions inside Luzira Women’s Prison.
As always, Dr Stella Nyanzi restores us with repeated reminders about the necessity of honesty and vulgarity in our speech when it comes to challenging dictatorial rule and theft within political chambers.
A poet who neither lacks humor nor teeters on the morally agreeable, Nyanzi writes sweetly about the pleasures and moments of delight she’s been embraced with amid such precarious and uninhabitable temperatures.
I’m always reminded that we exist alongside a miracle incarnate whenever I read anything from nnalongo Nyanzi’s hand and pen.
#FreeStellaNyanzi
Nyanzi reaches deep into the abyss of how corrupted political and economic power structures are within the confines of Luzira plus how they are aided externally.
She does this while colorfully discussing the lives of inmates (most of whom she pledges solidarity to), wardresses (most of whom she detests), afandes (like wardresses), visitors (whom she appreciates) and everyone else she‘s met along the tracks during her time in Luzira Women’s Prison.
Filled with emotion and defiance to autocracies, like all poetry offerings from Nyanzi are, we read about how extensively degraded women’s prisons are in terms of their physical and psychological conditions.
Her poems titled “Kitintale Fills Up Again” and “Born Again Chaos” made me weep as well as her other poems about menstrual discomfort and the insanitary conditions inside Luzira Women’s Prison.
As always, Dr Stella Nyanzi restores us with repeated reminders about the necessity of honesty and vulgarity in our speech when it comes to challenging dictatorial rule and theft within political chambers.
A poet who neither lacks humor nor teeters on the morally agreeable, Nyanzi writes sweetly about the pleasures and moments of delight she’s been embraced with amid such precarious and uninhabitable temperatures.
I’m always reminded that we exist alongside a miracle incarnate whenever I read anything from nnalongo Nyanzi’s hand and pen.
#FreeStellaNyanzi
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews