20 years of women’s literary voices

I am aware of the rising (wave) of Ugandan literature.” These were the words of prized novelist and Nobel Laureate Chinua Achebe (RIP); one who needs no introduction on the world stage of all things written.

Achebe stated this in 2008 at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of his novel Things Fall Apart in the University of London. In attendance was Gorretti Kyomuhendo, a prized Ugandan novelist, founding member and first staff of The Uganda Women Writers Association (FEMRITE).

It would be a year later when he would repeat almost the same words to yet another FEMRITE member, Glaydah Namukasa at Bard College, Hudson, New York.
“Knowing he was speaking in relation to us (FEMRITE and other contemporary Ugandan wiriters),” Namukasa reminisces, “I could not help but blush with elation.” By 2009, FEMRITE had registered world acclaim; having some of its members bagging prizes such as the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, the Caine Prize for African Literature and AWP Award, among numerous others.

Last week, FEMRITE held week-long celebrations of their two-decade service to Ugandan and African Arts and Culture; marking it with a three day conference, three book launches and a re-launch of Peter Kagayi’s poetry collection “The Headline That Morning”. Going by their feats and the lush conference, it is clear that the FEMRITE fairy-tale sure had its humble beginnings.

How it all began
“It was a concept birthed by Ms Mary Karooro Okurut in 1994,” Twongyeirwe recalls. “She was at the time a lecturer of Drama in the Department of Literature at Makerere University.” The lecturer held mobilisation meetings that Twongyeirwe was a part of, having been in Karooro’s drama class.

“It was two years before the mobilisation meetings birthed the actual inception of FEMRITE,” she recalls. In that time, however, they were able to enlist the support and participation of persons like Mwalimu Austin Bukenya, Dr Susan Kiguli, and Dr Ernest Okello Ogwang, who were all lecturers at the time.

“FEMRITE was founded on May 3, 1996, at an event funded by the American Embassy at the National Theatre,” she recalls. “I was honoured to be part of the ten-member founding team alongside such greats and fellow students at the time, some of whom included Rosemary Kyarimpa, Ayeta Anne Wangusa and Judith Kakonge (RIP).”

A haven for female writers
FEMRITE was birthed out of the concern that many a female writer at the time lacked a space or means to publish their work and that the literary sphere was literally ‘monopolised’ by the male gender. Karooro had met women whose works went unpublished not only due to limited publishing opportunities but also due to the publishers’ negative attitude towards women writing content,” Twongyeirwe remarks. Being a female lecturer and writer, Karooro saw the need to encourage women to write and avidly contribute to Uganda’s literary output through their tales.

Looking back, Twongyeirwe counts those objectives fulfilled beyond expectations. “I cannot boil our achievements down to five,” she says with a chuckle. “For one, an association that started with 10 members has 135 registered female writers.

We also have been able to publish 36 books under our name and will have published 40 by the end of the year.” She reminds me that this number is strictly for books published by and would be greater if the net was widened to include books authored by those that had undergone FEMRITE training and mentorship.

Among the latter batch are books like Jambula Tree by Monica Arach De Nyeko; a book that set her as a trailblazer, being the first Ugandan to win the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2007 and Voice of a Dream by Glaydah Namukasa that won her the 2006 Macmillan Writers Prize for African Senior Prize.

Even more pronounced is the 2006 Commonwealth Writers Prize Best First Book winner Tropical Fish by Doreen Baingana that also won her the AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) Awards. “Some of our books,” she adds gleefully, “are being taught in Universities in Gender and Literature Departments, one of them being A Season of Mirth by our own Regina Amollo.”

Playing on Uganda’s writing scene
Their impact on the community however, reaches past book publishing. FEMRITE has birthed other initiatives such as the Uganda Writer’s Caravan and the “Giving Back to the Community” Campaign. “The concept of the Caravan is to take Ugandan writers back to their home districts to share with their people the joys and fruits of reading and writing. It is an opportunity for story tellers to get back to the originations of their stories,” she says. This was initiated in 2014.

FEMRITE through “Giving Back to the Community” campaign allows members of the public buy books from them at a subsidized price that the public in turn donates to their respective former or current schools’ libraries.

“This project started in 2008 and has since enabled us reach many secondary and primary schools; equipping them with materials that would have otherwise been too costly.” There have been low moments too at FEMRITE; the passing on of members topping the chart. Like Hope Keshubi in 1999, a founding member. When asked about censorship, Twongyeirwe informs me that the greater gagging comes from the public’s perception about literature. “Many a person on seeing a female writer’s name on a book brands it ‘women’s things’.

It would be equally absurd to brand the content of a male writer’s book ‘men’s things’,” she argues. In case their content goes against the Funder’s views; Twongyeirwe affirms that as is FEMRITE objective, “we will tell the stories as they should be told.”

FOOTPRINTS
Nyana Kakoma- Founder, Sooo Many Stories
“When I started out at Makerere University in 2006, I was looking for an outlet as a writer and I found that and more at FEMRITE. It was and always been the welcoming and unique experience there that has nurtured other prized names in Literature such as Beverly Nambozo, Doreen Baingana and Gorretti Kyomuhendo to mention a few.”

Mwalimu Austin Bukenya- Professor and Renowned Playwright
“When FEMRITE started in 1996, there were barely any published Ugandan female writers. FEMRITE has now grown into a reputable force globally with some of its members like Monica Arach and Doreen Baingana winning International Prizes. FEMRITE is not for women only; FEMRITE turned me into an African Women’s Writer as I became able to participate actively in women’s’ fora internationally.”

Glaydah Namukasa Bwogi- Founding Member FEMRITE and Prized Novelist
“FEMRITE has been the school in which I have honed my writing skills. It has increased the visibility of Ugandan Literature and strengthened the relevance of reading and writing to a younger generation.”

Associate Professor Dr. Okaka Opio Dokotum- Deputy Vice chancellor, Academics Lira University
“FEMRITE has heightened the Ugandan appreciation of literature both qualitatively and quantitatively. Their works have also placed Uganda on the map. From a humble inception, FEMRITE has become a force to reckon with.

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