The Woman Who Poked the Leopard

The Woman Who Poked the Leopard follows Dr Stella Nyanzi, a Ugandan activist, poet, and academic in anthropology known for her sharp tongue, quick wit, and acts of resistance.

The film opens with Nyanzi and her three children, two sons and a daughter, reading the incendiary poem that led to her imprisonment for 15 months under President Yoweri Museveni’s regime. The documentary then offers a riveting account of Nyanzi’s life, focusing largely on 2021, when she campaigned for political office in an effort to unseat the president. It also documents the torture and humiliation she endured while imprisoned, as well as her eventual exile to Germany. The result is a portrait of her unbreakable spirit, her humour in the face of adversity, and her intimate interactions with her children, friends, and community. The documentary becomes an immersive study of her defiance against sexism, corruption, injustice, and anti-queer violence.

Director Patience Nitumwesiga crafts a rigorous portrait of a woman who demonstrates how language can be used as both a weapon and a vehicle for change, and how freedom is a fundamental right. The film makes for a compelling watch, portraying a woman whose unrelenting strength inspires audiences to fight for justice, stand with the underdogs, and defend their dignity.