Susan Nalugwa Kiguli
Susan Nalugwa Kiguli, born on June 24, 1969 in Luweero District, Uganda, is an internationally recognized Ugandan poet and literary scholar. [1] Currently (as of 2011) a senior lecturer at Makerere University, Kiguli has been an advocate for creative writing in Africa, including service as a founding member of FEMRITE, [2] as a judge for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize (African Region 1999), and as an advisory board member for African Writers Trust. [3] As a poet, Kiguli to date remains best known for her collection The African Saga; [4] as a scholar, for her work on oral poetry and performance. [5]
Education
- 2005 Ph.D. English. The University of Leeds. Leeds, United Kingdom.
- 1996 M.S. Literary Linguistics for Teaching English Language and Literature. University of Strathclyde. Glasgow, United Kingdom.
- 1994 M.A. Literature. Makerere University. Kampala, Uganda.
- 1991 B.A. Education. Makerere University. Kampala, Uganda.
Poetry and Performances
Kiguli has participated as a poet and reader in numerous literary festivals and conferences, including most prominently the International Literature Festival Berlin (2008); [1] the Poetry Africa Festival in Kwazulu –Natal, South Africa (2009); [6] the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya (2007); [4] and the Leeds Centre for African Studies, University of Leeds, United Kingdom (2005).
In addition to her critically acclaimed collection The African Saga (ISBN 978-9970901005), which won the National Book Trust of Uganda Poetry Award (1999), [7] Kiguli has also written poems for children – four of which were featured by Books LIVE as Animal Portraits by Susan Kiguli (Note of Affection #4, Love Africa Carnival) [8] and selected by readers as “one of the most loved Love Notes of its month.” [9] Kiguli has discussed her own childhood reading experiences in an interview with BooksLIVE.[10]
Kiguli has also contributed poetry for children to the collection Michael's Eyes: The War against the Ugandan Child, an international collaborative effort “intended to raise the global awareness of the situation in Northern Uganda,” particularly concerning the troubles caused by the Lord's Resistance Army.[11]
Kiguli poem’s were also featured in Eye of the Storm: A Photographic Journey Across Uganda / L'oeil du Cyclone: A travers l' Ouganda, with photography by David Pluth and Pierre-Francois Didek.
Kiguli has also been featured by Ultra Violet: Indian feminists unplugged, [12] and by Department of English & Creative Writing, Lancaster University.[13]
Scholarship and Criticism
Praised by the poet and critic Alex Smith as “the leading intellectually astute voice in contemporary East African poetry,”[9] Kiguli was an American Council of Learned Societies Fellow for 2010, with her research focusing on “Oral Poetry and Popular Song in South Africa and Uganda: A Study of Contemporary Performance.” [5]
On the same general topic, Kiguli’s recent intellectual contributions include “The Symbolism of Music Festivals in Buganda: The case of Ekitoobero and Enkuuka y’omwaka,” in Performing Community (2008) and “Mapping the Dream of Cultural Continuity: Songs at Enkuuka y’omwaka” in Performing Change (2009).
Alex Smith also found noteworthy Kiguli’s comments on A Hundred Silences, the third collection of poems by Gabeba Baderoon.[9]
References
- ^ a b Gandtschi, Ali. “Susan Kiguli (Uganda).” Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin. 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2011 from http://www.literaturfestival.com/participants/authors/2008/susan-kiguli
- ^ "History of FEMRITE." FEMRITE -- Uganda Women Writers' Association. Retrieved August 22, 2011 from http://www.femriteug.org/?view=21
- ^ "Advisory Board." African Writers Trust. Retrieved August 24, 2011 from http://www.africanwriterstrust.org/advisory-board
- ^ a b World Social Forum. "Susan Kiguli (Uganda.)" Poetic Voices at the World Social Forum Nairobi, Kenya 19-23 January 2007. Retrieved September 21, 2011 from http://dbnweb2.ukzn.ac.za/cca/images/wsf/Kiguli.htm
- ^ a b ACLS. "Fellows and Research: Susan Nalugwa Kiguli F'10." ACLS: Advancing the Humanities. July 27, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2011 from http://www.acls.org/research/fellow.aspx?cid=7431ca5d-b0b6-df11-98f3-000c293a51f7
- ^ Centre for Creative Arts. "Susan Kiguli (Uganda)." 19th Poetry Africa Festival - 5-9 October 2009. Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Nata. Retrieved September 21, 2011 from http://dbnweb2.ukzn.ac.za/cca/images/pa/PA2009/pg/kiguli.htm
- ^ "FEMRITE Achievements and Milestones." FEMRITE - Uganda Women Writers' Association. Retrieved August 22, 2011 from http://www.femriteug.org/?view=7
- ^ Smith, Alex. “Animal Portraits by Susan Kiguli (Note of Affection #4, Love Africa Carnival).” Books LIVE: The internet newspaper for SA books. September 9, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2011 from http://alexsmith.bookslive.co.za/blog/2008/09/09/animal-portraits-by-susan-kiguli-note-of-affection-4-love-africa-carnival/
- ^ a b c Smith, Alex. "Hogging the Apple: Susan Kiguli’s experience of reading Gabeba Baderoon’s poetry." Books LIVE: The internet newspaper for SA books. February 4, 2009. Retrieved September 21, 2011 from http://alexsmith.bookslive.co.za/blog/2009/02/04/hogging-the-apple-susan-kiguli%E2%80%99s-experience-of-reading-gabeba-baderoon%E2%80%99s-poetry/
- ^ Little Hands @ Books LIVE. "Susan Kiguli’s formative reading experiences." Books LIVE: The internet newspaper for SA books. March 17, 2009. Retrieved September 21, 2011 from http://littlehands.bookslive.co.za/blog/2009/03/17/susan-kiguli%E2%80%99s-formative-reading-experiences/
- ^ Granqvist, Raoul J., ed. Michael's Eyes: The War against the Ugandan Child. Institutionen för Moderna Språk. Umeå universitet. Umeå, Sweden. 2006.
- ^ Kiguli, Susan. "Two poems." Ultra Violet: Indian feminists unplugged. January 1, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2011 from http://ultraviolet.in/2010/01/01/two-poems-by-susan-kiguli/
- ^ Kiguli, Susan. Translating ‘Sing Like A River’ into ‘Yira Ng'o Mugga.’ Crossing Borders Open Day. Department of English & Creative Writing. Bowland College. Lancaster University. February, 2006. Retrieved September 21, 2011 from http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/projects/graham_mort/crew/YiraN%27goMugga.html