Writivism

It is a few weeks to the #Writivism2016 festival. Starting Monday August 22 to Sunday 28, Kampala shall host a gathering of readers, writers, publishers, academics and other players in the literary sector. We are looking forward to the seven-day event and in anticipation, this blog is featuring short Q & As with previous and current staff. We are doing this in order to briefly trace the history of the festival, but also to introduce the new staff to our readers. This week’s staff member is Kyomuhendo A Ateenyi, who is the Director in charge of Finance and Administration and this year’s festival producer.

First, a more elaborate introduction. Kyomuhendo is a Ugandan literary and cultural activist and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and Director of the Centre for African Cultural Excellence, a Pan-African Literary Initiative that seeks to harness the abilities and talents of African writers and artists in using culturally-grounded narratives to cause change in the societies in which they live through the promotion and advocacy of cultural rights, heritage preservation and the advancement of cultural expressive forms. . This year, he is curating the Annual Writivism Festival to be held in Kampala from August 22^nd to August, 28^th, 2016 at the Uganda National Museum, Kampala. We asked him a few questions.

What are you most looking forward to at the festival, among the planned activities?

I look forward to the panel discussions, most especially the one on the interplay between law and literature.

Who is your most favourite character in African fiction?

Obi Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease. For me the story of Obi represents so much on how the individual should care never subordinate himself or his interests and values to the expectations of society.

What book have you ever borrowed and failed to return because you could not let go?

Okot p’Bitek’s White Teeth.

If the Writivism festival weren’t held in Kampala, where else would you have loved it to be?

Accra, Ghana. O! How I love that city!

What Ugandan food would you recommend to any visitor?

Of course boiled Cassava and Gobe or Malakwang!

Join us on Monday August 22 to Sunday August 28, 2016 for the fourth Writivism Festival holding at the Uganda Museum, on Kira Road. Events on Monday to Thursday start at 6pm and on Friday to Sunday start at midday till 10pm.