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28-827: The founder and current director of AWT is Goretti Kyomuhendo , an internationally recognized novelist with a distinguished career as the first Programmers Coordinator for FEMRITE – Uganda Women Writers' Association . African Writers Trust is governed by its advisory board, currently (as of 2017) composed of Zakes Mda , Susan Nalugwa Kiguli , Ayeta Anne Wangusa , Helon Habila , Leila Aboulela , Mildred Barya , and Aminatta Forna . Although presently headquartered in London, England, African Writers Trust has so far (as of 2011) conducted its activities primarily in East Africa based in part upon that region's perceived needs and opportunities. Diana Nabiruma, of The Observer (Uganda), reported on

56-517: A Creative Writing School in Uganda, holding the African Writers Trust workshop and competition on an annual basis and in a different nation each year, establishing a Writer's Fund to allow an established African Diaspora writer to spend a semester at an African university teaching students creative writing, and the like. In regard largely to the same, Advisory Board member Mildred Barya has written

84-477: A Mother (1998) published. Mildred Barya , who joined FEMRITE in 1997 and later won the Ugandan National Book Trust Award in 2002 for her poetry collection Men Love Chocolates But They Don't Say (2002), has claimed: "from her (Kyomuhendo), I did not only acquire knowledge in publishing dynamics, but my writing improved, my poetry soared to the skies, I was set free, so I flew." Kyomuhendo

112-476: A difference for African writers." Goretti Kyomuhendo Goretti Kyomuhendo (born 1 August 1965) is a Ugandan novelist and literary activist. A participant at the inaugural International Literature Festival Berlin in 2001, Kyomuhendo has been internationally recognised for her novels such as Waiting: A Novel of Uganda's Hidden War . She was the first Programmes Coordinator for FEMRITE —Uganda Women Writers Association, from 1997 to 2007. She founded

140-561: A medical school for non-white students in Durban. The Pietermaritzburg campus was known for its agricultural engineering programmes, hence the nickname "the farmers" whilst the Durban campus was known as "the engineers," as it concentrated on other engineering programmes. On 1 January 2004, the University of Natal was merged with the University of Durban-Westville to create a new legal entity called

168-463: A personal reflection published in Pambazuka News on the growing pains of AWT, the challenges of finding funding and support, and her assessment of what the organization can contribute. In a 22 May 2011 interview with Caine Prize nominee Beatrice Lamwaka for AfroLit , current Director Goretti Kyomuhendo offered her own assessment of progress-to-date and future expectations for AWT: "Its mission

196-510: A remarkable addition to our literary landscape." Based upon both Kyomuhendo's FEMRITE service and published works as of 2009, the USA-based UTNE Reader nominated Kyomuhendo as one of "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World", while describing FEMRITE as a "dynamic association for indigenous female writers." In 2009, Kyomuhendo founded African Writers Trust (AWT) in an effort to "coordinate and bring together African writers in

224-687: A touch of sweetness to it, through the eyes of a young girl forced to grow up before her time." Kirkus Reviews , the New Statesman , Pambazuka News , and the Mail & Guardian Online (South Africa) were among other publications that also gave favourable notice. In March 2009, the Poetry Café in Covent Garden , London, featured Kyomuhendo reading a selection from Waiting for African Writers' Evening . Kyomuhendo's first graphic novel , Sara and

252-487: Is primarily operational in Uganda and headquartered in London. The activities of African Writers Trust under Kyomuhendo have included writing workshops and conferences, with these receiving favourable attention from African journalists – albeit so far primarily from East African journalists. Kyomuhendo has also written The Essential Handbook For African Creative Writers , published by African Writers Press in 2013. University of Natal The University of Natal

280-756: Is to build and sustain a strong supportive network for African writers in Africa and in the Diaspora. As you know, there are many hurdles that African writers have to grapple with in order to achieve their writing and publishing dream. These include lack of or limited publishing opportunities, professional writing skills development, supportive structures to develop and grow as writers and to sustain their creative processes and productions, lack of information on publishing and other resources for writers, lack of cross-border movement of books, and many others. We plan to address some of these problems, so I hope in ten years, we shall have made

308-656: The African Writers Trust in 2009, after her relocation to London , Great Britain, in 2008. Maria Goretti Kyomuhendo was born and grew up in Hoima , Western Uganda. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree (Hons) in English Studies (2003) from the University of Natal , Durban , South Africa, and a Master of Arts degree in Creative Writing (2005) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban. In 2003, Kyomuhendo

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336-534: The National Book Trust of Uganda Award for 1999. Kyomuhendo's third novel, Waiting: A Novel of Uganda's Hidden War (2007), has garnered the most international recognition to date. Publishers Weekly described it as "a sensitive, slowly unraveling observation of daily life in a remote Ugandan village as Amin's marauding soldiers approach on their retreat north." A reviewer for BookLoons praised Waiting as "a complex and disturbing story told with almost

364-413: The University of KwaZulu-Natal , as part of a broader reorganisation of South African universities. The Council of the University of Natal voted on 31 May 2002 to offer the post of Vice-Chancellor and University Principal to world-renowned medical scientist and former Medical Research Council President - Professor Malegapuru Makgoba who assumed office on the 1 September 2002. He was entrusted with leading

392-475: The 2020 publication of the paperback edition. As a founding member and the first Programmes Coordinator for FEMRITE from 1997 to 2007, Kyomuhendo has been cited by some younger FEMRITE members as being instrumental in their development and success. Ayeta Anne Wangusa , in an interview with Peter Nazareth of Iowa University , affectionately remembers Kyomuhendo as "a tough lady" who would not take no for an answer until she got Wangusa's first novel Memoirs of

420-505: The AWT has held the biennial Uganda International Writers Conference, with participating international writers. The 2017 conference, on the theme "Contemporary Publishing Trends in Africa", featured a keynote address by Bibi Bakare-Yusuf of Cassava Republic Press , and a poetry performance by British-Ethiopian poet Lemn Sissay . According to the African Writers Trust website, the organization's projected activities and programmes include establishing

448-510: The Boy Soldier (2001), written for UNICEF -ESARO about child soldiers in Africa, received a middling review by GoodReads. Kyomuhendo has written a number of children's books and stories, but these have not been widely reviewed yet. She is a contributor to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa , edited by Margaret Busby , participating in a British Library event, alongside Anni Domingo , Ade Solanke and Zukiswa Wanner , to mark

476-664: The Diaspora and writers on the continent to promote sharing of skills and other resources, and to foster knowledge and learning between the two groups." Kyomuhendo has since served as the Director, joined by the following African writers as Advisory Board members: Zakes Mda , Susan Nalugwa Kiguli , Aminatta Forna , Mildred Barya , Helon Habila , and Ayeta Anne Wangusa . Although the Advisory Board includes members from various nations and regions in African, African Writers Trust as of 2011

504-511: The Durban city centre. The Howard College campus had a number of onsite residences, named after prominent South Africans including John Bews , Ernest Jansen , Louis Botha and Mabel Palmer . The Pietermartizburg campus was the original campus, though it later became the smaller of the two main campuses. The campus is in a suburban location, centred on the library and administration buildings. The library houses many historic books, including books on colonial history and Boer war history. Unlike

532-643: The South African maritime industry were drafted by Professor Hilton Staniland at the above Institute, including the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1 of 1986 and the Wreck and Salvage Act 94 of 1996. Under apartheid , the Howard College Campus, in Durban, was known for the activism of its staff and students against government-imposed racial segregation. Particularly in the 1960s Natal University students were active in

560-491: The University of Natal into the merger with the University of Durban-Westville. In so doing, he became the last Vice-Chancellor of the University of Natal. Professor Makgoba succeeded Professor Brenda Gourley as Vice-Chancellor. Brenda Gourley , a qualified chartered accountant , was the second last vice-chancellor of the University of Natal. Her appointment at the university in 1994 was an historical event in South Africa. She

588-767: The fiction workshop and competition organized by the AWT and held at the Uganda Museum in February 2010. On the same, The Standard (Uganda Christian University's community newspaper) reported on the success of the Uganda Christian University student writers who attended. Martin Kanyegirire, also of The Observer (Uganda), reported on a follow-up one-day workshop held by AWT in January 2011 that involved 20 student-writers from three East African universities. Since 2013,

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616-534: The non-racial National Union of South African Students, which was one of the main organizations opposing the apartheid system. In the 1970s and 1980s many of its students were members of the often-banned South African Students' Organisation (SASO), centred on the main arts centre at the Howard College campus. In addition, the university magazine Dome (named for the dome of the Howard College Building),

644-497: The period when Kyomuhendo was Programmes Coordinator, Monica Arac de Nyeko in her 2007 interview with the BBC declared: "FEMRITE has definitely had a positive impact on the Ugandan literary scene, particularly in forging a space for women’s voices to be heard. Perhaps as recently as the mid nineties there was a clear absence of women’s writing. FEMRITE came in, stormed the writing scene and is now

672-585: Was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal . The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu-Natal on 1 January 2004. It was founded in 1910 as the Natal University College in Pietermaritzburg and expanded to include a campus in Durban in 1931. In 1947, the university opened

700-450: Was active against apartheid and was often banned, with the printing press being moved around to prevent its being confiscated by police. The main science block on the Howard College campus, completed in the early 1980s, was a pivotal location for biological research and game conservation for the province. The Howard College campus in Durban was strung out along the Berea , a ridge to the north of

728-608: Was awarded a Graduate Scholarship for academic excellence by the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She was the first Ugandan woman writer to be declared an Honorary Fellow in Writing at the University of Iowa , 1997, after participating in the International Writing Program of Iowa. Kyomuhendo's first novel, The First Daughter (published in 1996), was well received in Uganda, earning some regional (East African) attention as well. Her second novel, Secrets No More (1999), won

756-693: Was joined by another and already established Ugandan author, Violet Barungi , who served as the FEMRITE editor from 1997 to 2007. During the Kyomuhendo/Barungi period of service from 1997 to 2007, FEMRITE members Doreen Baingana and Monica Arac de Nyeko would be nominated for the Caine Prize , with Monica Arac de Nyeko eventually winning the award in 2007. Additionally, other FEMRITE members during this time were shortlisted for or won various other prestigious literary awards. Regarding FEMRITE in general during

784-531: Was the first woman in South Africa to be appointed as a vice-chancellor of a South African university. The Maritime law programme based at the then Institute of Maritime Law at the University of Natal, which was pioneered under the headship of Professor Hilton Staniland , was one of the first Maritime law programmes of its kind in South Africa. The above institute was well known in South African Maritime circles. A number of South African statutes regulating

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