Henry Opolot Opio’s debut stage play, In This City, follows Owino (played by Samuel Ibanda), a successful trader whose business is ruined by a sudden disaster. The story traces how he navigates the crisis, and his plan for recovery ultimately reveals his true values and hidden side. It becomes a journey of self-reflection, discovery, and love. Staged at the National Theatre in Kampala on May 8, 2026, the play shows Owino narrating his daily struggles in a way that touches on traditions, culture, governance, the environment, and what he considers good values. His shop, which sells assorted apparel and other items, is on the first floor of Harm-full City Arcade. One day, disaster strikes, casting a shadow over his business and livelihood.
The dream sequence
The play opens with Owino still asleep on a makeshift bed in his shop. In a dream, he has travelled to the village to visit his aunt, who lived in the city for some time before returning to farm. Owino and his aunt discuss the pros and cons of rural versus urban life, as well as the effects of climate change on food production. A man hawking brooms appears. Owino warns his aunt not to buy the fake broom. The man rebukes Owino, calling him mean. Handing the broom back, Owino tells his aunt, ‘You need the real broom, maybe one made from palm leaf margins or grooves, those are stronger and better.’ ‘Never mind, the same may happen to you one day,’ the man says as he leaves.
Waking to disaster
Suddenly, a loud crack of thunder shakes the ground so violently that tremors run down Owino’s spine, waking him instantly before the dream can end. He had spent the night at the shop after a late date, not wanting to knock on his home door and wake the neighbours. Owino explains that at the arcade, it is not unusual to pay for space while toilets are not included in the rent. You must have extra money daily for the restroom, just as you need cash for meals and drinking water. A sharp voice filters into the room: ‘Should the police and army just stand there looking on as we struggle with floodwater instead of bringing trucks to drain it from our shops? What kind of disaster management is this?’ The word ‘floodwater,’ Owino says, strikes him hard, it is synonymous with destruction in this city.
‘I run over to the balcony,’ Owino says. ‘Looking down, there is chaos. I cannot believe my eyes. Murky rainwater races around multiple human legs wading through it. I am dumbfounded. Heartbroken. I run down the stairs, troubled. I had been in the upper room sorting merchandise, paying little attention to the murmuring voices below.’ He adds, ‘Worse still, it had rained without my realisation, courtesy of my outing the previous evening. I can only imagine what is happening in the basement, where I have a store. I get there, and my colleagues are already there.’
‘Owino, where have you been?’ one asks. Feeling indicted, Owino defends himself: ‘You people, you couldn’t even inform me. What kind of camaraderie is this?’ Another replies, ‘Owino, with all this shock, do you think anyone has the mind to call someone?’ ‘Then how were you able to converge all at once?’ Owino asks.
‘Meanwhile, I try to recover some floating items and stash them away. Raising one item soaked in water, what mystery is this, if not destruction?’ Owino laments. A colleague asks, ‘We normally come at the same time. What delayed you?’ Owino answers, ‘I did not go home. I was in the upper room unpacking merchandise and went to bed late.’ ‘What! And you could not know this was happening in the building?’ He cries out.
A symbolic broom
The tenants sweep the floor, scooping muddy debris and water into buckets to carry out. The broom Owino uses is the very kind he recommended to his aunt in the dream. ‘I struggle every day to run a business under hard conditions and pay taxes,’ Owino says, ‘but how much protection do I get from whoever is supposed to protect my business?’
This sets him on a struggle to save his business and devise a recovery plan once the disaster recedes. His efforts lead him to seek help from colleagues, well-wishers, and authorities. But every attempt yields nothing, prompting him to question human nature and life itself. He finally concludes that human actions are responsible for the destruction of their own existence and being.
Casting and performances
Samuel Ibanda plays seven roles, though he is not especially gifted at distinguishing the voices of different characters. The playwright may revise the script to introduce additional actors and actresses. Opolot himself plays Owino’s colleague, a policeman, a truck driver, and a garbage collector. Asked why he accepted the role of Owino, Ibanda replies: ‘As far back as I can remember, I have always used art to trigger and provoke conversation, awareness, and conscious thought. Taking on this script and the role(s) is an opportunity to be on the right platform at the right time to talk about situations we ignore until they come back and break everything we stand for. The fact that the director and writer thought me capable of delivering his script and acting seven characters was exciting and a great challenge, and I did it for the betterment of everyone else.’
Asked to describe Owino, Ibanda says: ‘Owino is an adult, a family man, and a trader in this city. He is an observer overwhelmed by the mess that keeps happening as if no one cares, and he is ready to voice his frustration. He is a concerned citizen who loves community and believes in togetherness. He appreciates that working together brings progress for everyone, not just a few. He believes in protection for all.’
Opolot on writing the play
Opolot says, ‘I came up with this play because I wanted to mirror and reflect on us as a people, as a society, and what we have become.’ As for how long it took to write, he notes, ‘The actual writing took one month, but the process of development started much earlier.’
Asked why he made it a one-man play with another distant voice speaking to the main character, Opolot responds: ‘I made it a one-man play because I had planned to act the part myself. I considered that I am part of the very society I am mirroring. So, the distant voice is that of the world I belong to.’