In her essay “Oppressor, Resistor, or Enabler: Who Are You in the Neoliberal Capitalist System?”, writer and feminist storyteller Lisa Charity Nabuchabo unpacks the symbolic characters of NYUKI: The Bee Story, revealing how each one mirrors a role many of us unknowingly play in today’s global order. From the self-serving Hive Beetles to the overburdened worker bees and the fiery rebel MFLAME, every figure in the comic reflects real-life actors within the systems of exploitation, resistance, and complicity.

The essay calls on readers to examine the narratives they’ve accepted as truth—narratives that often mask exploitation as “investment,” or domination as “development.” Drawing from a Pan-African feminist lens, Nabuchabo interrogates how colonial legacies persist under neoliberal policies and how everyday choices can either uphold or resist the machinery of capitalism.

NYUKI: The Bee Story isn’t just a comic—it’s a wake-up call. Through the allegory of bees, hives, and invading beetles, the story reimagines Africa as a buzzing landscape of resistance, exploitation, and survival. Told through bold visuals and layered symbolism, Nyuki critiques how institutions like the IMF and World Bank continue to enforce economic dependency through debt traps, tax loopholes, and exploitative treaties.

Paired together, the essay and comic offer a striking political education, urging us not just to read, but to reckon.

👉🏾 Download the full essay: Oppressor, Resistor, Or Enabler- Who Are You In The Neoliberal Capitalist System

👉🏾 Read the comic here: The Bee Story: A Metaphorical Tale of Wealth Disparity and the Need to Tax the Rich

Take a moment. Reflect.
In this system, where do you stand?