The shortlist for Mabati Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature was announced today December 15, 2019 by the board chair, Abdilatif Abdalla. The prize, founded in 2014 by Dr. Lizzy Attree and Dr. Mukoma Wa Ngugi (Cornell University), has the express goal of recognizing writing in African languages and encouraging […]
African literature
African Writers Trust has trained writers for 10 years now. Some of whom have gone ahead to publish their work, start publishing houses, offer editorial services and so on and so forth. During day two of the AWT Poetry Training workshop, three of our alumni were guest speakers. Ronald Kasirivu […]
A poem should be available universally-Prof.Laban Erapu Day one of The AWT Poetry Training workshop was held on Tuesday, 3rd December 2019 at AWT offices, Kyaliwajjala-Namugongo. The participants represented a number of poetry organisations such as Kitara Nation, Echo Minds Poets, Kelele At Makerere, Lantern Meet Foundation, and the rest […]
Fairway Hotel in Kampala is silent on the rainy May evening that Jackie Kay, Scottish poet and novelist, stands to read her poetry. The Uganda International Writers Conference has just ended, but most of the delegates are still here. In fact, the crowd seems larger than it was during the […]
On the early morning that I interview Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi about her latest book, Kampala is rainy and wet but it instantly gets warmer when Makumbi walks smilingly into the hotel lobby. Clad in a sleeveless cream top and flowered slacks, she could easily pass for a holiday maker, but […]
More than two millennia ago, Greek Philosopher Plato wrote in his book, Republic, “No poetry should be admitted save hymns to the gods and oration on famous men.” Today, many people hold the same sentiment according to poet, author and Professor of Literature, Timothy Wangusa, who gave the key note […]
The international literary scene is hard to crack. Africa has a sort of laissez-faire approach to publishing. There are hardly any literary agents on the continent. Day two of the workshop helped us understand how the international literary world works. Glaydah Namukasa, author of Deadly Ambition and Voice of a […]
Day one of the Professional Training workshop for Creative Writers gathered participants from various walks of life; from practising writers to a few that are just starting out. The one common strand between all of them was that they felt the call to write and to add quality or improve […]
Okey Ndibe’s “Foreign Gods, Inc.” tells the story of a Nigerian-born New Yorker called Ike. Ike has an Amherst degree in economics, however, his accent has kept him from finding a job in corporate America. So he works as a cab driver. His customers mispronounce his name, and the name […]
I recently participated in the AWT Professional Training workshop for Creative Writers in Kampala on the 9th and 10th of September 2019. The workshop, facilitated by novelist and distinguished professor of Creative Writing, Okey Ndibe was excellent; similar to the AWT: Uganda International Writers Conference in May 2019, which I […]