NAIROBI — The atmosphere inside Nairobi’s Shah Jain Bhavan Auditorium was charged with anticipation as a packed audience gathered for the launch of renowned East African scholar Mahmood Mamdani’s latest book, Slow Poison.
Credit: Excerpt Adapted from
The Eastleigh Voice .
“I first met Mahmood during a turbulent period in the history of our region.”
Yusuf recalled the era when power struggles gripped Kampala in the 1980s, noting that he had fled Kenya’s one-party dictatorship to London, where he later worked at the BBC. He also reflected on Dar es Salaam’s role under Julius Nyerere as a refuge for liberation movements and an intellectual hub that drew scholars from across Africa and the world.
He added that, over the years, he visited institutions where Mamdani taught—including in South Africa and the United States—and praised his work on identity politics, democracy, and the decolonisation of African universities and knowledge.
In his remarks, Mamdani said Slow Poison explores how two leaders who rose through anti-colonial struggle confronted limits of power and resources—and how those constraints shaped their decisions.
“It’s about two leaders who come to power through anti-colonial struggle… and how they decided to handle the challenge.”
The discussion concluded on a reflective note—linking scholarship, memory, and political choices—while underscoring the importance of principled public thinking in East Africa’s present and future.