TROUBLEMAKERS

How do we unlearn the colonial logic of “good development”?
 
In this episode, Ugandan filmmaker and theatremaker Patience Nitumwesiga reflects on Paulo Freire’s and Augusto Boal’s ideas, exploring how art, story, and imagination can awaken critical consciousness and challenge imposed notions of progress.
 
Key Ideas
 
Unlearning the “banking model” — Knowledge already lives within communities; true learning begins through shared reflection.
 
The burden and gift of awareness — Once awakened, we cannot return to ignorance; awareness demands creative resistance.
 
Decolonising “development” — African ways of life are not backward but expressions of freedom and identity.
 
Licensing
This episode is free to use with attribution to Trouble Makers (the podcast), under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.
 
Resources & Show Links
 
🎬 Movie link: https://www.thewomanwhopokedtheleopard.com
 
Credits
Host: Phil Wilmot | Guest: Patience Nitumwesiga | Producer: Rodgers George | Editor: Phil Wilmot | Studio: Troublemakers MS TCDC | Music: Beautiful Trouble & Mwaduga Salum

What does it mean to seek justice in a system that thrives on injustice?In this powerful reading, Sungu Oyoo, a Kenyan writer, activist, and pan-Africanist affiliated with Kongamano La Mapinduzi and Mwamko, revisits the words of Sam Mugumya, author of We Refuse to Be Victims.
Key Ideas and Highlights
Injustice as Everyday LifeSungu’s reading reminds us how injustice is normalised, becoming the air the marginalised breathe.
The Political Resonance Through Mugumya’s words, we hear echoes of many others silenced across the continent. A call to remember, resist, and refuse to bow.
LicensingAnyone can use this recording 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.
Resources & Show Links
We Refuse to Be Victims by Sam Mugumya: https://bit.ly/4mZyHDDCreditsReading: Sungu OyooProducer: Rodgers GeorgePoet: Sam MugumyaRecording: Trouble Makers

In this Smoke Signal, Njuki Githethwa reads from the newly published collection ‘We Refuse to Be Victims' by Ugandan activist and poet Sam Mugumya. His words remind us that courage, dignity, and resistance are possible even under the harshest conditions.
Sam visited Nairobi in August 2025, where he met with grassroots collectives from informal settlements, inspiring hope and solidarity. Days later, upon returning to Uganda, he was arrested and has since disappeared into incommunicado detention. His poetry, written through years of imprisonment, survives as both testimony and torchlight.
 
Key Ideas and Highlights
 
Defiance in Captivity – Sam’s verses were born in jail cells, yet they speak of freedom and unbroken will.
Turning the Gaze – His poems insist that the real victims are despots enslaved by their own corruption.
The Role of Art in Struggle – Poetry as a tool of survival, resistance, and inspiration across Africa’s liberation movements.
Solidarity Beyond Borders – How words shared in Nairobi echo in Uganda, the Congo, and across the continent.
Anyone can use this podcast for free, with attribution to Trouble Makers (the podcast). It is held under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License and can be used for radio or any other media.
Our podcast is inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.
 
Resources & Show Links
Trouble Makers Linktree: linktr.ee/troublemakers.podcast
 
Credits
Host/Reader: Njuki Githethwa
Poet: Sam Mugumya
Producer & Audio Editor: Rodgers George
Podcast editor: Monica Kamandau
Music: Beautiful Trouble & Mwaduga Salum

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will,” Frederick Douglass
What does it mean to choose your battles wisely? In this episode, host Phil Wilmot sits down with Zambian activist Villy Nawa to unpack the strategy of isolating targets and forcing institutions to account for their failures.
From his first protest as a boarding school student demanding decent food to spearheading the Fix ZESCO campaign against Zambia’s national power utility, Villy shares stories that reveal the art of strategy in social movements. Rather than targeting the president or parliament with their fire, the movement held one institution accountable, and that decision reshaped the fight.
 
Key Ideas and Highlights
Everyday Struggles Spark Resistance: How bad food and arbitrary punishments at school inspired Villy’s first protest.
Narrative Is Power: The government reframed loadshedding as “you have nine hours of power” instead of “15 hours of power cuts.” Activists had to learn to frame their story just as skillfully.
Pick the Right Target: Why focusing on ZESCO, rather than the presidency, created space for pressure and accountability.
Attribution:
Anyone can use this podcast for free, with attribution to Trouble Makers (the podcast). It is held under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License and can be used for radio or any other media.
Our podcast is inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.
 
Resources & Show Links
Choose Your Target Wisely
Nawa’s Bio
Pillars of Power
 
Credits
Host: Phil Wilmot
Guest: Villy NawaProducer & Audio Editor: Rodgers GeorgeEditor: Monica Kamandau
Music: Beautiful Trouble and Mwaduga Salum

In this episode of Troublemakers (TM) Smoke Signals, we revisit an article written just before the Covid pandemic: Is the rising obsession with digital security paralyzing people power? What started as a reflection on the flood of digital security trainings resurfaces today with new urgency, amid accelerating AI, techno-feudalism, and state and corporate espionage.
The internet once felt like a commons — a democratic space where we could build communities around shared interests. Today, despite the name “social media,” many feel more detached than ever. At the same time, movements are told to delay action until every security risk is eliminated. But history and lived experience remind us: risk never reaches zero. 
Licensing
Anyone can use this podcast for free, with attribution to Trouble Makers (the podcast). It is held under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License and can be used for radio or any other media.
Acknowledgment
Our podcast is inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.
 
Resources & Show Links
Full article: Is the Rising Obsession with Digital Security Paralyzing People Power?
Darya Alikhani on Practising digital security
Contact us: troublemakersthepodcast@gmail.com
Listen to more episodes: linktr.ee/troublemakers.podcast
 
Credits
Host: Phil Wilmot
Producer: Rodgers George
Editor: Thompson Luzendi
Music: Beautiful Trouble and Mwaduga Salum

Is nonviolence truly the higher ground, or is that just a myth handed to the oppressed by those in power? In this fiercely honest conversation, South African lawyer, activist, and former parliamentarian Magdalene Moonsamy returns to the mic to confront the moral binaries surrounding resistance, liberation, and the cost of freedom.Key Ideas and Highlights;
The Violence – Nonviolence TrapMagdalene challenges the neat binaries of Gandhi vs Malcolm X, showing how these narratives have been weaponised to tame liberation struggles.
Land, Dignity, and JusticeFrom South Africa to the global stage, she argues that land redistribution is not just an economic issue; it’s about dignity, belonging, and the end of structural violence.
Colonial Legacies and ReparationsThe discussion unpacks how racism, caste, and class oppression intersect, making the demand for reparations inseparable from the fight against ongoing exploitation.Succession and Collective LeadershipMagdalene emphasises that movements thrive not through policing or gatekeeping, but through delegation, distributed leadership, participation, and a movement culture that is inter-generational culture-building that spans generations.Slavery, War, and the United NationsDrawing on history and present failures, she links modern war to the persistence of slavery—both physical and mental—calling for deep institutional transformation.
LicensingAnyone can use this podcast for free, with attribution to Trouble Makers (the podcast). It is held under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License and can be used for radio or any other media.AcknowledgmentOur podcast is inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.Resources & Show LinksListen to the episode: Episode 36 – By Any Means NecessaryExplore all episodes: Trouble Makers on LinktreeTo learn more on distributed leadership, non-violent discipline and movement culture, check out the Uprising and Peak GOLD course
CreditsHost: Phil WilmotGuest: Magdalene MoonsamyProducer: Rodgers GeorgeMusic: Beautiful Trouble, Mwaduga SalumEditor: Monica Kamandau

Is nonviolence truly the higher ground, or is that just a myth handed to the oppressed by those in power? In this fiercely honest and far-reaching conversation, South African lawyer, activist, and former parliamentarian Magdalene Moonsamy returns to the mic to confront the moral binaries surrounding resistance, liberation, and the cost of freedom.
Key Ideas and Highlights
The Violence–Nonviolence TrapMagdalene unpacks the deep flaws in framing Malcolm X vs Gandhi as a binary. “It’s as if there are only two options,” she says, “but human beings have all kinds of contextual conditions.” This isn’t just theory — it’s about lived realities and who gets to define justice.
Calling Out GandhiIn one of the episode’s most personal and confrontational moments, Magdalene critiques Gandhi’s legacy in South Africa, including the classism, the quiet partnerships with colonial powers, and the privileges enjoyed by some at the expense of the poor.
Beyond Strategy: What Is Liberation?Whether through armed resistance or strategic negotiation, Magdalene argues, the focus must return to the people, their suffering, their agency, and their right to decide how they are to be fought. “The idea that we can police what kind of seed someone else should plant... where does that attitude come from?”
LicensingAnyone 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.
AcknowledgmentOur podcast is inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.
Resources & Show Links
Beautiful Trouble: beautifultrouble.org
Credits
Host: Phil WilmotGuest: Magdalene MoonsamyProducer & Editor: Rodgers GeorgeRecording: Samora Machel Studio, MS TCDCMusic: Beautiful Trouble & Mwaduga Salum

Ep35: Make New Folks Feel Welcome – Part 2
What does it really mean to feel welcome?In this second part of Make New Folks Feel Welcome, we flip the mic and pass it to the people. Real voices share real stories that made them feel like they mattered. 
These are stories of kindness, comfort, and quiet inclusion.
Then, we sit down with Lennart Dose, an architect deeply engaged in restoration and spatial design, to reflect on what it takes to create physical and social spaces where people can truly belong. Lennart shares lessons from his architectural practice and cross-cultural experiences, drawing striking connections between building structures and building community.
Key Ideas and Highlights
Fragments of WelcomeBelonging by DesignThe Fear of ChangeCulture vs. Moment
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.Our podcast is inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.
Make New Folks Feel Welcome is a principle from Jonathan Matthew featured in the Beautiful Trouble Toolkit.
Resources & Show Links
🌐 Guest Website: https://lennartdose.com
Credits
Host: Rodgers George
Guest: Lennart Dose
Producer & Editor: Rodgers George
Recording: Samora Machel Studio
Music: Original Troublemakers Theme & Mwaduga Salum.

What happens when we don’t just imagine a better world, but practice it right now?
Our host Monica Kamandau speaks with Ally, a creative writer, author-activist, and community organizer from Zanzibar about building truly inclusive communities. 
Ally relates his experience with stuttering and how embracing his voice gave him a thirst for storytelling, organising, and helping others reclaim their power through words.
 
Key Ideas and Highlights
 
The power of the written word
Ally's stutter led him to discover creative writing as self-expression. His stories—fiction and nonfiction “slices of life”—blend humour and observation. They subvert traditional storytelling “beginning, middle, end” norms.
Building spaces for listening
Ally shares three common mistakes that silence people with speech differences—and how we can instead create supportive, humanizing environments.
Challenging the status quo
Fluency is often wrongly tied to intelligence or trustworthiness. Ally deconstructs this presumption. In civic spaces—especially during an election year—Ally calls for re-evaluating the harmful narratives that entrench social and political exclusion. Reassessing our blind spots helps us further democratize our societies.
 
Licensing
Anyone can use this podcast free of charge, 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. Our podcast is inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.
Credits
 
Host: Monica Kamandau
Guest: Ally Baharoon
Producer: Rodgers George
Recording: Troublemakers Team
Music: Beautiful Trouble & Mwaduga Salum.

"Every single time, I’m the first audience I have to think about." – Minentle Luthuli
Can you stay true to your story and still move others to act? Should you even try?
In this deep and dynamic episode of Trouble Makers, South African filmmaker Minentle Luthuli challenges the idea that artists—or activists—should start by considering their audience. Drawing from personal experience, she speaks about creating stories from the heart first, then trusting that the right people will find them.
And yet, she acknowledges a deeper truth: while authenticity gives a story its power, strategy gives it reach. Borrowing from the Beautiful Trouble toolbox, we reflect on this central tension in activism and art: “It doesn’t matter what you think about your poster, film, or protest. All that matters is what your audience thinks.”
This episode features Luthuli’s raw reflections on her debut film Heart Attack, how Sarafina! taught her about relatability in storytelling, and why platforms like Netflix often change their stories to target the largest audience possible, and end up not reaching audiences that actually care about the content of the film.
Anyone can use this podcast for free, with attribution to Trouble Makers (the podcast). It is held under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License and can be used for radio or any other media. Our podcast is inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.
 
Resources & Show Links
 
Heart Attack by Minentle Luthuli
Consider Your Audience by Beautiful Trouble
Credits
Host: Phil Wilmot
Producer: Rodgers George
Editor: Monica Kamandau
Guest: Minentle Luthuli
Recording: Samora Machel Studio
Music: Mwaduga Salum & Beautiful Trouble