Making our Clowns
Martyrs
Making our Clowns Martyrs (or Returning home
Lines 3 – 5
(or Returning home without chauffeurs)
Jack Mapanje
without chauffeurs)
‘…the toilets in the 1. We all know why you have come back home with no
Jack Mapanje
banquet halls … which 2. National colours flanking your black mercedes benz.
won’t flush.’ 3. The radio said the toilets in the banquet halls of
4. Your dream have grown green creepers and cockroaches
The imagery reflect the
5. Which won’t flush, and the orders you once shouted
official’s situation: By
6. To the concubines so mute have now locked you in.
declaring that the
7. Hard luck my friend. But we all know what currents
official’s toilets have Lines 18
8. Have stroked your temper. You come from a breed of
become clogged with 9. Toxic frogs croaking beside the smoking marshes of TONE: The speaker is using a
creeping plants and 10. River Shire, and the first words you breathed were sarcastic/ironic tone because it
infested with 11. Snapped by the lethal mosquitoes of this morass.
cannot be a ‘welcome’ situation for
cockroaches, the poet 12. We knew you would wade your way through the arena
the official to return to ‘broken reed-
establishes that his 13. Though we wondered why you had got chosen for the benz.
fences’. The speaker’s use of the
14. You should have been born up the hills, brother where
elevated position has term ‘brother’ is ironically
15. Lake waters swirl and tempers deepen with each season
been ruined. His dream of contemptuous because, although
16. Of the rains. There you’d see how the leopards of
living a life of privilege they share the same nationality (and
17. Dedza hills comb the land or hedge before their assault.
going to ‘banquets’ has now also the same poverty),
18. But welcome back to the broken reed-fences, brother;
come to nothing. SACAI JUN 19. Welcome home to the poached reed-huts you left behind; Mapanje despises him SACAI JUN 2021
2021 20. Welcome to these stunted pit-latrines where only
, Lines 25 – 26
IMAGERY
Lines 28 – 29
By associating the 21. The pungent whiff of buzzing green flies gives way.
behaviour of the relatives 22. You will find your idle ducks still shuffle and fart The diction in these lines contributes to
towards the returning 23. In large amounts. The black dog you left still sniffs the satirical message of the poem.
official with deliberately 24. Distant recognition, lying, licking its leg-wounds. And
The speaker ridicules the amoral
25. Should the relatives greet you with nervous curiosity
carved masks, we are
26. In the manner of masks carved in somebody’s image, political landscape in Malawi by
given a strong sense of
27. There is always across the dusty road, your mad auntie. concluding that the only person
how he will be mistrusted
28. She alone thinks this new world is going shit. allowed to express herself honestly is
even by those close to him.
29. She alone still cracks about why where whys are crimes. the official’s ‘mad auntie’ who would
Their response to him will
not be believed anyway. This satirises
not be genuine or sincere
the twisted values in the country
since they cannot speak
where you would have to be insane
freely, further emphasising
to be allowed to express the truth. The
the fear in which the
idea is extended with corrosive and
people of Malawi lived SACAI
sardonic humour in the words ‘where
JUN 2021
whys are crimes’ as the poet shows
how intimidated ordinary people
have become; even asking questions
leads to criminal prosecution. SACAI JUN
2021
Martyrs
Making our Clowns Martyrs (or Returning home
Lines 3 – 5
(or Returning home without chauffeurs)
Jack Mapanje
without chauffeurs)
‘…the toilets in the 1. We all know why you have come back home with no
Jack Mapanje
banquet halls … which 2. National colours flanking your black mercedes benz.
won’t flush.’ 3. The radio said the toilets in the banquet halls of
4. Your dream have grown green creepers and cockroaches
The imagery reflect the
5. Which won’t flush, and the orders you once shouted
official’s situation: By
6. To the concubines so mute have now locked you in.
declaring that the
7. Hard luck my friend. But we all know what currents
official’s toilets have Lines 18
8. Have stroked your temper. You come from a breed of
become clogged with 9. Toxic frogs croaking beside the smoking marshes of TONE: The speaker is using a
creeping plants and 10. River Shire, and the first words you breathed were sarcastic/ironic tone because it
infested with 11. Snapped by the lethal mosquitoes of this morass.
cannot be a ‘welcome’ situation for
cockroaches, the poet 12. We knew you would wade your way through the arena
the official to return to ‘broken reed-
establishes that his 13. Though we wondered why you had got chosen for the benz.
fences’. The speaker’s use of the
14. You should have been born up the hills, brother where
elevated position has term ‘brother’ is ironically
15. Lake waters swirl and tempers deepen with each season
been ruined. His dream of contemptuous because, although
16. Of the rains. There you’d see how the leopards of
living a life of privilege they share the same nationality (and
17. Dedza hills comb the land or hedge before their assault.
going to ‘banquets’ has now also the same poverty),
18. But welcome back to the broken reed-fences, brother;
come to nothing. SACAI JUN 19. Welcome home to the poached reed-huts you left behind; Mapanje despises him SACAI JUN 2021
2021 20. Welcome to these stunted pit-latrines where only
, Lines 25 – 26
IMAGERY
Lines 28 – 29
By associating the 21. The pungent whiff of buzzing green flies gives way.
behaviour of the relatives 22. You will find your idle ducks still shuffle and fart The diction in these lines contributes to
towards the returning 23. In large amounts. The black dog you left still sniffs the satirical message of the poem.
official with deliberately 24. Distant recognition, lying, licking its leg-wounds. And
The speaker ridicules the amoral
25. Should the relatives greet you with nervous curiosity
carved masks, we are
26. In the manner of masks carved in somebody’s image, political landscape in Malawi by
given a strong sense of
27. There is always across the dusty road, your mad auntie. concluding that the only person
how he will be mistrusted
28. She alone thinks this new world is going shit. allowed to express herself honestly is
even by those close to him.
29. She alone still cracks about why where whys are crimes. the official’s ‘mad auntie’ who would
Their response to him will
not be believed anyway. This satirises
not be genuine or sincere
the twisted values in the country
since they cannot speak
where you would have to be insane
freely, further emphasising
to be allowed to express the truth. The
the fear in which the
idea is extended with corrosive and
people of Malawi lived SACAI
sardonic humour in the words ‘where
JUN 2021
whys are crimes’ as the poet shows
how intimidated ordinary people
have become; even asking questions
leads to criminal prosecution. SACAI JUN
2021
