Susan Nalugwa Kiguli (PhD) is a Ugandan poet, literary scholar and critic whose fame is continuously growing from great to greater heights. She is currently a Senior Lecturer of Literature at Makerere University (with an observably strong passion and delight in teaching poetry), where she is the Head of Department. According to Alex Smith, a literary critic and a poet, Susan N. Kiguli is the “the leading intellectually astute voice in contemporary East African poetry,” Her major areas of research and literary interest include creative writing, oral poetry and performance, and feminist assertion.

1. PRESENTERS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
KITOOKE AMONI
NAMATA SHERINAH
KAYEZU ELIZABETH
AYESIGA PATRICK
MUGUME PETER
TURYASINGURA GIFT
NANSOBYA CATHERINE

2. • “The leading
intellectually
astute voice in
contemporary
East African
poetry,”
- (Alex Smith)

4. Introduction:
Susan Nalugwa Kiguli (PhD) is a Ugandan poet, literary
scholar and critic.
She is currently a Senior Lecturer of Literature at
Makerere University (with an observably strong passion
and delight in teaching poetry)
She is the Head of Department, Literature
She is the delegated Dean of the School of Languages,
Literature, and Communication (as at Friday 15th
November, 2013; when Dr. Ernest Okello Ogwang is out
of the country).
 Her major areas of research and literary interest
include creative writing, oral poetry and performance,
and feminist assertion.

5. Brief Family Background
In a family of seven children, Dr. Susan Kiguli
was born on Tuesday 24 June 1969, in Luweero
District of Uganda.
Her father died when she was two years; so
she was brought up by her mother, and under
the guardianship of her uncle, the late James
Nsibirwa Mukasa.
(Shall we, please, take one minute of silence in
honour of him who brought her up so well)

6. Early Literary Background
Her literary passion and career dates back in time
when she was about four years when she read the
first books which she calls the “Nakku Series”. She
says she does not remember the right name of the
book series.
In an interview with Beatrice Lamwaka, Susan
Kiguli says her most vivid memory of beginning to
write was at Gayaza High School where she wrote
poems to read to her class in teacher-guided
sessions. Her classmates’ approval of her writings,
she says, gave her courage to advance higher in
writing.

8. Educational Background
2005 - Susan Kiguli was awarded a PhD in
English from the University of Leeds, UK.
1996 - She was awarded a Masters of Letters in
Literary Linguistics from the University of
Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
1994 - She was awarded a Masters of Arts
(Literature) of Makerere University,
Uganda
1991 - She was awarded a Bachelor of Arts with
Education, English Language and Literature of
Makerere University, Uganda.

9. Major Works
and
Publications

10. Major Works and Publications
• The African Saga (1998); a
collection of her poems,
which won the National
Book Trust of Uganda
Poetry Award (1999), and
the Editors’ Choice Award of
the USA National Library of
Poetry (1999). It was
reviewed more than six
times in two moths; and
sold out in six months. It
was reprinted in 1999 and
2003.

11. Major Works and Publications
The African Saga is a collection deeply
rooted in the exploration of female
marginalisation with particular focus on the
African continent.
It is one of the first three books that were
published by FEMRITE on Wednesday 29 April
1998.

12. Major Works and Publications
Home Floats in a Distance/Zuhause Treibt in
der Ferne (GEDICHTE) (2012); It’s a bilingual
English-German collection of “poems mainly
explore contemporary gender, social, political
issues, and at times, delve into nature and the
cosmos which the poet renders with powerful
images rarely encountered.” (Ekyagonza).

13. Major Works and Publications
 She has written poems for children, four of
which were featured by Books LIVE as Animal
Portraits by
(Note of Affection #4
Love Africa Carnival).
The four poems are: Tortoise, The Swan, A
Cockerel at the Break of Day, and A Walk With
The Lion.

14. Major Works and Publications
She has also contributed poems for children
to the collection, Michael's Eyes: The War
against the Ugandan Child, edited by Raoul J.
Granqvist.
This was in an international effort intended to
raise global awareness of the situation in
Northern Uganda, orchestrated by the Lord’s
Resistance Army.

15. Major Works and Publications
She wrote the poems that appear in Eye of the
Storm: A Photographic Journey Across Uganda /
L'oeil du Cyclone: A travers l'Ouganda; with
photos by David Pluth and Francois Didek; and
Nicholas Michel as the translator (between
French and English).

16. Major Works and Publications
She wrote a paper entitled Oral Poetry and
Popular Song in South Africa and Uganda: A Study
of Contemporary Performance (2010);
In its abstract, it is stated that “This study explores
the process and practice of contemporary oral
performance in post-apartheid South Africa and
post-civil war Uganda, and particularly focuses
upon the practice of oral poetry and popular song
as understood by performers.”

17. Major Works and Publications
She also wrote in Performing Change (2009)
with a particular focus on “Mapping the Dream
of Cultural Continuity: Songs at Enkuuka
Y’Omwaka”
She wrote in Performing Community (2008),
particularly focusing on “The Symbolism of
Music Festivals in Buganda: A Case Study of
Ekitoobero and Enkuuka Y’omwaka”

18. Major Works and Publications
In 2007, she co-authored, I Dare to Say: Five
Testimonies by Ugandan Women Living
Positively with HIV/AIDS (2007) with Violet
Barungi.

19. Major Works and Publications
Susan Kiguli’s other poems appear in many
other collections, including among others,
Arthur I. Luvai and Kwamchetsi Makokha’s Echos
Across the Valley (2000) and Okot Benge and
Alex Bangirana’s Uganda Poetry Anthology 2000

21. Awards:
• Dr. Susan Kiguli has won several awards; both in
the Poetry field and elsewhere (like in athletics).
The following are some of the awards she has
won in her Literary Career.
• 1999 – The National Book Trust of Uganda Poetry
Award for The African Saga
• 1998–The Editors Choice Award of the USA
National Library of Poetry for The African
Saga – 1999
• 1998 – Old Girl Distinguished Award for
Excellence in Public and Literary Work
• 1998 – Old Girl Distinguished Award for
Excellence in Public and Literary Work

23. She is the African Studies Association
Presidential Fellow, 2011. This gave her an
opportunity to read her poetry at the Library of
Congress, Washington DC in November – 2011.
She has also held the American Council of
Learned Societies / African Humanities
Fellowship – 2010-2011

24. She has served as the Chairperson of FEMRITE
(Uganda Women Writers’ Association)
She attended and performed at the
International Literature Festival Berlin – 2008. At
this, he appeased the President of Germany, His
Excellency Horst Kohler. As such, the President
honoured her as one of the poets to appear in
his book on Africa entitled Schiskal Afrika
(2010).

25. She attended the Summer Institute on
Contemporary American Literature – 2008 – at
the University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
She was a Poet in Residence at Stiftung Kunst:
Raum Sylt Quelle, Germany between October –
November – 2008.

26. • She has appeared twice as a
Guest Poet at the Poetry
African Festival in Kwazulu –
Natal.

27. She attended and performed at the World
Social Forum Poetry Africa: Poetic Perspectives
on Migration, Nairobi – 19-23 January, 2007.
She served on the Board of Advisors for
Beyond Boarders: A Festival of Contemporary
African Writing (Interaction Event) British
Council, Uganda – 2005.

28. She was a Special Participant in the Yorkshire
Professional Development for Writers of African
and Asian Descent (INSCRIBE) – 2005-2006
Project initiated by Arts Council England,
Yorkshire in partnership with Peepal Tree Press
in Leeds.
She was a Commonwealth Researcher in
Residence at the University of Natal from
September 2001 – February 2002.

29. She also served as one of the Regional Coordinators for
the Women Writing Africa Project (Eastern region, 19992000)
Very notably, she served on the panel of judges for the
Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (African Region – 1999).
Here, she worked on the panel with Kofi Anyidoho and
Elinor Sisuhu among others.
Susan Kiguli is one of the founding members of
FEMRITE. She is one of the women who met in the office
of Hon. Mary Karooro Okurut (then a lecturer at
Makerere University) to discuss her idea that birthed the
famous FEMRITE

31. Susan Kiguli primarily acknowledges and
actually dedicates The African Saga to her late
uncle and guardian, James Nsibirwa Mukasa, for
the fact that he believed in her, even when she
doubted herself.

32. •Professor David Rubadiri
•Professor Timothy Wangusa
•Dr. Sam Kasule
•Professor Shullenberger
•Professor Macpherson
•Professor Austin Bukenya
•Dr. Ernest Okello Ogwang
•Professor Abasi Kiyimba
•Mr. James Taabu Busimba
•David Yatuta
•And many others

33. She also acknowledges Sheelagh Warren, Dr.
Robinah Kyeyune and Harriet Mutumba for the
literary foundation they laid for her.

34. Having generously contributed to the revival of
the love for poetry in Uganda, many poets have
come up, either individually or in groups, like:
•The Lantern Meet of Poets
•The luminous Sorrels; like Paul Kasami

36. Having generously contributed to the revival of
the love for poetry in Uganda, many poets have
come up, either individually or in groups, like:
•The Lantern Meet of Poets
•The luminous Sorrels; like Paul Kasami

38. Besides being our very own, every member of our group gave
their reason for the choice of this poet, as follows:
1. Namata Sherinah – I admire the effort and energy this poet
devotes to her literary works especially the creative eye
behind the letters on paper.
2. Kayezu Elizabeth – She writes and talks reality.Something
that we can identify with as Ugandans but also as humanity
on a whole.
3. Turyasingura Gift – Feminist Assertion
4. Mugume Peter – She reads interestingly.(Her art poetry
perfomance)
5. Nansobya Catherine – There is humour in her poetry
6. Ayesiga Patrick – She is a celebrated Ugandan Poet
7. Kitooke Amoni – She is an inspiration.I am inspired to work
hard, through her works and literary achivements.