The Critique Magazine Logo
    • Popular
    • Latest
    The Critique MagazineThe Critique
    Login
    LITERATURE & ANALYSES

    Tobbako

    A poetic protest against oppression, consumerism and manipulation, urging individuals to resist the allure of destructive habits and instead fight for freedom.

    By: Maurice Gonsia III

    06 Dec, 2024

    Share
    Save

    I will not buy your tobacco
    I won't buy your tobacco
    I will not let you sink my boat
    I won't let you sing my thoughts;
    Sing to free me, plead to free me.

    Love me like Cupid, desire so stupid
    Your tongue upon a boot it's leaning
    Justice, a Benz, pimping, so said
    Desire not to bend to pick the peanuts, you're not dense.
    That's hope on a thread and like Milton
    It's dead.

    I won't buy your tobacco
    To choke me on nicotine
    you would rather call me an empty tin
    because I choose to drag the capitalist.

    Community, society, hear ye!
    I call upon you to heal me,
    Not to hail me
    like the capitalist;
    I am praying for your naivety
    Suffocating free thought,
    selling you your freedom
    So do not buy tobacco
    Do not say mpako.

    I will not buy your tobacco
    It's a charm of free doom
    I won't buy your tobacco
    For a chance of freedom
    We cannot laugh and let it go
    Where anyway?!
    When the roads are filled with portholes,
    And the bridges want to let go
    Like the patients in Mulago.

    Tobakko, I dare you!
    Sell not your freedom for free doom
    Lose your soul so that you do feel not the portholes.
    Or breathe in the dust or soot
    On your suit, wear not the oppression symbol
    Clap not the cymbals when you celebrate your freedom

    I hope free air is free
    For them to feel free and breathe
    Not soot or dust, but peace
    Let them rejoice for justice served
    And their children, forever satisfied,
    Educated, patriotic, but not for the stars.

    Free the air, rebuke the heir
    May democracy burn like a flare on a street fair
    May I pay my fare to you without fear,
    Sleep in tranquillity, wake to equity
    Weigh my sacrifices with your services
    And belch satisfactorily.

    Well, I did not buy your tobacco
    So I have my freedom.
    I beg to speak, so be it if I bleed
    We won't plead or fight
    for words are cheap, and war is but delight
    So, we won't buy your tobacco
    For a chance to chant freedom.

    -thehandwritten-

    About the author

    Maurice Gonsia III a gwere man with some power, is a growing writer, poet and art enthusiat. I seek to make an impact in the diverse aspects there is but focusing on identity, justice, and authenticity. I'm a pan Africanist thirsty for a sustainable change for the African person. For God, For humanity.

    💬Comments(0)

    Sign in to join the conversation

    The Critique Magazine

    Copyright Notice: All rights reserved. All the material published on this website should not be reproduced or republished without prior written consent.

    Copyright to the material on this website is held by The Critique Magazine and the contributors. Any violation of this copyright will be subject to legal proceedings under intellectual property law.

    Navigation

    HomeGlobal WatchLatestPopularSubmissionsIssues

    Magazine

    AboutThe VerdictInner Reflection

    Copyright 2025 - The Critique Magazine

    Most popular

    1

    "We have 54,000 police officers; each has about 120 bullets. Do the Maths.”

    Coercive Arithmetic, Electoral Sincerity, and the Rhetorical Displacement of Democratic Persuasion in Uganda.

    Isaac Christopher Lubogo

    2

    Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State

    Why Mahmood Mamdani’s Slow Poison Demands Structural, Not Moral, Reading

    Isaac Christopher Lubogo

    3

    When Handcuffs Become Government Policy

    Inside Uganda’s Politics of Fear, Silence, and Unlawful Detention.

    Abdullatif Khalid Eberhard

    4

    The Uganda Media Week Closure: Why This Year’s Celebration Must Be Marked as a Turning Point for This Nation’s Fourth Estate

    As Technology Advances, Can Journalism Keep Its Soul?

    Akampurira Agapito

    5

    Uganda Media Week 2025, Opens Amid Concerns Over Press Freedom Ahead of Elections

    A timely conversation on journalism, regulation, and democracy.

    Akampurira Agapito

    6

    Reclaim your writing: Why Writing the Hard Way is the Only Shortcut to Authentic Mastery.

    Why letting AI write for us risks erasing originality and grit.

    MUNUNUZI TIMOTHY KISAKYE

    7

    Innocent Until Proven Guilty: How Bail Really Works in Uganda

    Normative, Doctrinal and Comparative Perspectives

    MUTARYEBWA EDGAR

    8

    Why Repression Only Expands Kyagulanyi’s Influence

    Uganda’s Failure on Display as Security Forces Turn on Citizens

    Akampurira Agapito

    9

    The Legal Impact of Human Rights Allegations on the Image of African Presidents in US Diplomacy

    ‘Digital generations are watching; let your leadership reflect values, not just authority.’

    MUTARYEBWA EDGAR

    10

    When ballots bow to bullets

    On deception, force, and the erosion of democratic choice

    Beyoreka Junior