Austin Bukenya

 

'Austin Bukenya yazaalibwa nga 10 Ogw'okubiri mu 1944) nga munayuganda omutontomi, muwandiisi wa mizannyo, obutabo wamu n'okudukanya eby'enjigiriza. Yeeyawandiika akatabo akayitibwa 'The People's Bachelor', n'omuzannyo oguyitibwa, 'The Bride. Asomeseza enimu, enono y'olulimu n'emizannyo kutendero lya Makerere University mu Uganda ne yunivasite mu Bungereza, Tanzania ne Kenya okuva mu myaka gya 1960 bwegyali gigwaako. Yali abeera ku yunivasite mu Rwanda ne Germany. Bukenya awa n'endowooza ye ku butabo, ebitontome n'emizannyo. Muzannyi wa kusiteegi ne kuntimbe atukiridde, yaliko okumala emyaka ng'atendeka mu kifo kya Creative and Performing Arts Centre ku Kenyatta University mu Nairobi.

Obulamu bwe n'ebyenjigiriza

Bukenya, ayagala ennyo okumuyita Mwalimu, yazaalibwa mu 1944 e Masaka mu tawuni, mu bukiika ddyo ga Uganda, nga taatwe yali musirikale. Famire oluvannyuma yagenda e Kitukutwe, mayiro 15 okuva mu Kampala. Taata ye yali omukatuliki omukuukutivu eyali asobola okunyumya engero z'omu bayibuli n'azifuula n'egero z'amaama we ez'obuwangwa. Okusinziira ku Bukenya, engero zino z'asikiriza nnyo endowooza zze..

Yasomera kusomero lya Gayaza pulayimale, oluvannyuma n'agenda Kisubi Seminary gyeyayigira enimu satu okwali olufalansa oluzungu n'olulatini. Kino oluvannyuma kyawa endowoza ye ey'okuwandiika n'ebiseera bye eby'omumaaso mu by'enjigiriza. Okwagala kwe eri eby'onono z'olulimi by'agenda bikula nga byanywezebwa ku Namilyango College, gyeyamalira ebigezo bya S.4 ne S.6 . Mu 1965, yagenda ku Dar es Salaam University gyeyayongera okuyiga ku by'enimi ng'esira asinze kuliteeka mululimi oluswayiri. Yasoma eby'enimu n'okuwandiika n'oluzungu mu diguli esooka. Ebyawandiikibwa bya Bukenya ebisinga biri mu luswayiri nga bino byonna asiima jjajja we omukyala, ng'emirandira gye gisibuka mu Dar es Salaam. Yasikirizibwa abasoma abaakukuguka mu by'enimu nga Wilson Whitely, Omungereza omuwandiisi eyamannyikwa ennyo olw'akatabo ke ak'olulimu oluswayiri: the Rising of a National Language. Bukenya yeegata yunivasite y'e Makerere ku diguli ye ng'omuyizi mu 1968, oluvannyuma n'akuguka koosi ya litulikya omwogere. Yasomerako ku yunivasite mu Madagascar n'e Bungereza, neyeeyongerayo ne diguli zze ku yunivasite y'e Makerere ne Kenyatta. Ayigiriza ennimi, ebiyiiye ne katemba Makerere University mu Uganda ne yunivasite mu Bungereza, Tanzania ne Kenya okuva mu myaka gya 1960nga gigwaako.

Okuwandiika

Omutonto, omuwandiisi w'obutabo n'omuzannyi wa ffirimu omukuukutivu, Bukenya yatwalibwa ku katemba y'okusiteegi n'asikirizibwa bazadde okubeera omuwandiisi, abaalina okukiriza okw'amaanyi mu by'owangwa bya Buganda. Okunyikirwa kw'okuzannya katemba mu bulamu bwe obwabulijjo kyali kitundu ku by'enjigiriza bya Bukenya eyakulira mu byali by'e Uganda gyeyali omujulizi wa katemba ow'enjawulo ng'abaana bakuba ennyimba z'obuwangwa n'amazina, emizannyo,enjatula y'ebigambo ekyasikiriza okuwandikakwe. Bukenya yawandiika katemba we eyasooka okumuwanguza ekirabo mu 1964, nga basinziira kungero ezaamubulirwa maama. Okuva olwo awandiise emizannyo ne katemba w'oku leediyo, naye nga yasobola okufulumya emizannyo ebbiri gyokka okwali, The Secret ne The Bride.

Emirimu gya Bukenya kwaliko: The Mermaid of Msambweni, The Bride – katemba eyalina ebitundi bbinna, n'ogwa John Ruganda oguyitibwa; The Floods, n'endala. Yasomesa mu Kenya ku Kenyatta University, wamu ne Bayreuth University, mu Department of African Studies mu Germany. Yasembayo okufulumya A Hole in the Sky, ekiteeka esira mu kukuuma ebitwetoloode, nga ekitiibwa mu eyali omulwanirizi w'ebitwetoloodde okuva e Kenya eyaweebwa n'engulu Wangari Maathai. Emirimu gya Bukenya gitekeddwa ku kanaala k'abatontomi aka pan-African poetry platformku mukutu gwa Badilisha Poetry Radio. Ali mu kibiina ky'abawandiisi ekyaFEMRITE.

Byeyafulumya

•  

•  
•  

•  

Ebitabo ebiyigiriza

• Naturally, in  (1989). Revival: An Anthology of African Poetry. College Press. ISBN 9780869259177.
• "A Dancer's Challenge" in Badilishapoetry, 2014
• "I met a thief"

Ebitontome

• Naturally, in  (1989). Revival: An Anthology of African Poetry. College Press. ISBN 9780869259177.
• "A Dancer's Challenge" in Badilishapoetry, 2014
• "I met a thief"

Ebiri ebweri

• "Definitions and understandings of oral literature"
• "Of Oracy, Orature, Textology and Clapping Chairs "
• "Professor Bukenya: Chinua Achebe Inspired My Writing"
• "‘Stop discriminating against humanities’ "
• "Literature growth in Uganda "
• "Storytellers paint Uganda's pyramid of ancient wisdom"
• "I got it"
• "‘Kings’ of Uganda’s heritage"
• "Africa Must Embrace Traditional Values or Perish"
• "Is this the time for Ugandan writers to shine again?"