Young poets charm people in Uganda

By Godfrey Olukya

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) – A group of more than 100 young poets nurtured by poetry promoting organizations is making waves in the landlocked East African country of Uganda.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, coinciding with World Poetry Day, being observed on Monday, Kitara Poetry Publishers manager Peter Kagayi said his mission is to promote poetry and young poets in the country.

“We have so far published 22 books with collections of poems written by 123 young and old poets. Altogether we have published over 800 poems,” he said.

The publishers have encouraged poets like primary school student John Kankore, 14, to write poems. His poem, Giant Mind, was recently accepted for publication in his school magazine.

“I became interested in writing poems after reading some poetry books published by Kitara poetry publishers,” he said.

He said the poetry book that excited him most was Don’t love me in English, written by Bridget Ankunda.

Ankuda is also among the young poets who have been nurtured by poetry-promoting organizations in Uganda.

Her collection of poems was also published and marketed by Kitara Poetry Publishers.

Kagayi said Don’t love me in English was published two years ago while Ankuda was a student at St. Mary’s Namagunga Secondary School.

He said some of the books they publish are marketed through various bookshops.

He said although one of the company’s objectives is to promote young poets, it also helps mature and older people get their poems published.

Kagayi said his organization has published poets as young as 14 years. He also said that encouragement is not limited to younger poets only, adding that they have published elder ones as well.

- Monitoring young poets

“The company encourages children as young as seven to start writing poems and monitors them until they reach university level. We mentor young poets and we also train them to become professional poets,” he said.

Parents in most parts of the country have been supportive and encourage their children to write poems, he added.

According to one of the organizers of World Poetry Day celebrations in Uganda, the function is sponsored by a German organization, Goethe Zentrum.

“Goethe was one of the greatest German writers and poets who have ever lived. The Germans started poets and writers promoting organization in his name and they sponsor writers and poets’ activities in several countries, especially in Africa,” Tom Lukanga told Anadolu Agency.

“The future of Poetry in Uganda is bright. Many people have started loving poetry written by Ugandans,” said Ronald Sekajja Salongo, president of the Poetry Association of Uganda.

He said his group is the umbrella organization for all poetry groups in the country. There are 32 organizations under the association he leads.

Joshua Kagimu, director of a poets’ organization, Tontoma Poetry Jazz, told Anadolu Agency that his group has “helped over 100 young poets countrywide to promote their talents in writing poems”.

James Musoke, a teacher of literature at Lugaya Secondary School in the eastern Uganda district of Iganga, said: “In the past, in the 1980s,1990s and early 2000’s very few Ugandans read and appreciate poetry. We also had a few poets. But nowadays because there are many organizations promoting poetry in the country, a big number of Ugandans have started reading and writing poems.”