Wampamba's Ugandan roots in books

Feb 04, 2015

Mazzi Wampamba has spent most of her life in Europe, but her heart remains in Africa, particularly Uganda as evidenced in her poetry

Mazzi Wampamba has spent most of her life in Europe, but her heart remains in Africa, particularly Uganda as evidenced in her poetry, Richard Wetaya writes

Mazzi Wampamba is a dedicated Ugandan poet whose words, clad in verses, speak to the checkered realities of life. Her collection of poems in prose on life’s motley of emotions and experiences are set forth in her new book,  Like An Ocean.

The book, launched on January 8 at Kampala Serena Hotel, is replete with poems that read like subtle intellect coloured with feeling.

In one of the poems, The City On Seven Hills, the 56-yearold gets a tad nostalgic wondering if she can ever come back again to her place of birth, Kampala, the city of seven hills.

Wampamba left Kampala while still young. Her father, Prince Daudi Wampamba, thought it wise to send her away as circumstances in Uganda, under the president Idi Amin dictatorship deteriorated in the early 1970s.

“My dad sent me away on a premonition. He foresaw what was going to befall Uganda when Amin took over,” she says.

Wampamba, the world citizen


Wampamba moved to England, where she continued her education. She later went to France, where she also attended school. She moved back to England after completing her studies.

Wampamba later went to Kenya and lived there for twoand- a half years, working at the International Development Research Centre, a Canadian scientifi c funding agency.

In 1982, Wampamba moved to the US. It is where she currently lives and works at the National Science Foundation as a programme specialist.

“I was born with travelling feet and writing hands. Travel, business networking and administration are my other passions. I enjoy interactions with different cultures of the world. I have lived in many countries and experienced many cultures. That in itself qualifi es me to be a world citizen,” she says.

Wampamba speaks English, French, Spanish, Shona, Kiswahili, Luganda, plus many other Bantu languages.

“Most of my adult life was moulded by the British, but my father made sure that I write to him in Luganda to keep my heritage. Having been away from Uganda for long, I get homesick and nostalgic. Uganda is my root; I was born here so yes, I do love the Pearl of Africa, albeit I would love to see a betterment in our educational system, health system and infrastructure,” Wampamba says.

Her writing journey

Wampamba’s interest in writing started in secondary school in Uganda.

“I was inclined to English and literature. That provided a basis for my early literary works. I love telling stories in short form,” she says.

Her first three books were geared towards children as educational bedtime stories.

“I saw a need to write for African children, especially those born in foreign countries.

It was my means of educating them about Africa. I have written four books thus far,” Wampamba says.

The Kingdom of the South was the first in a series of three books she wrote for children.

“The book takes any child on an African safari filled with fun and excitement. A journey full of experiences and numerous lessons. The child metaphorically touches the beauty and wonders of the African continent as seen in East Africa, whilst reading this book,” Wampamba says.

Inspiration to write

Human interest issues and challenges form the basis of most of Wampamba’s literary works. “I am intrigued by all cultures in the world and the different experiences and feelings people have. At times, the inspiration to write comes naturally, that is why I plan to keep writing for as long as I can,” she says.

Currently, Wampamba writes during her spare time, owing to her full-time job. “The fact that my work is resonating with people not only here, but in the US is a Godsend. I have received a number of comments from people telling me how my poems reverberate with them, in many ways, ranging from being therapeutic to forging ahead in life after certain debacles,” she says.

By her own account, part of the inspiration to write was also spawned after she could not find any African books in the neighbourhood libraries to read for her son at bedtime.

“All the children’s books I stumbled upon were based on European and American culture. I found nothing wrong with that, but I wanted my son to learn about Africa at a young age so he could appreciate his own culture. Reading for your child does amazing things for their future vocabulary,” Wampamba says.

What is in store

Apart from her poems in prose book, Wampamba has embarked on authoring a new novel full of adventure. It has no title yet, but she says it tells the story of an American journalist who travels to work in Africa during turbulent times. The novel is primarily on the challenges of working as a journalist in Africa.

“Before that is put out on the market, I suggest people get a copy of Like an Ocean. If you love poetry, this book will take you on a journey that leads you to the best and the worst in life’s experiences. The book is about love, hate, hurt and happiness,” Wampamba says.

Uganda’s reading culture

The mediocrity in Uganda’s reading culture concerns many Ugandan authors, including Wampamba. However, she is upbeat that there can be a turn in the tide in Uganda’s poor reading culture.

“When community libraries become a normal thing in Uganda, people will read more. In developed countries, libraries are nearly in every community. Libraries encourage people to read because borrowing books is a free service to the community,” Wampamba says. She urges parents to instill a reading culture in their children from a young age.

“Encourage your children to read something before they go to sleep. We also do not have enough writers in Uganda. When more authors come up, there will definitely be a change,” Wampamba says.

Challenges

“Finding time to write on occasion is a major challenge, being that I have a full-time job. But I persist and find time even in the middle of the night,” Wampamba reveals.

Being a single mother, Wampamba has also found it difficult to strike a medium between writing and raising her son.

“Being a single mother is one of the most difficult things in the world, but also one of the most fulfilling. In a sense, I have to allocate almost all of my time to fostering my child and looking into myself.

Striking a medium between writing and nurturing my son has not been an easy feat. Sometimes I write whilst my son is sleeping. At times I get distracted, but still I persist. Through it all, however, it has been satisfactory seeing all the things I have done on my own as a mother,” Wampamba says.

Although writing is a penchant, which comes with less financial clout, Wampamba still holds a positive outlook.

“Writing is a passion, which usually does not usually come with riches, especially in Africa. That, however, should not dissuade people from writing. It is worthwhile in every sense.

When you start writing, keep going, you can never know when lady luck knocks at your door,” she says.

Education

Wampamba studied at Gayaza Primary School, Mengo Girls, Buloba Secondary and Tororo Girls’ High School in Uganda.

In England, she went to school in Cheltenham and took on liberal arts, business administration and management at Christie College, Cheltenham and Pitman College, London.

In France, she studied modern and traditional French at InterLangue, Alliance Francaise and Sorbonne. When she moved to the US, she enrolled for a master’s in project management at George Washington University.

Family

Wampamba was born to Prince Daudi Wampamba and Omuzaana Wampamba (both deceased). She lives in the Commonwealth of Virginia, US with her son, Saava David Kisakye Williams.

“I am very proud of my son. I was able to raise him up alone and he has steadily been climbing the ladder of success. It is not always easy for a single mother to raise a child up singlehandedly, but I owed it to myself and to my son to foster and mould him into what he is today,” Wampamba says.

Excerpts from

“ Like an Ocean ”

“Me Black?”

Why call me black?

Are you colour blind?

Why call me black?

Does it help your being?

Why call me black?

Is it a cultural thing?

Why call me black?

Is it a common thing?

The sun so bright on Africa.

The moonlight so radiant all

night.

Why call me black?

You forgot

My name?

My tribe?

My continent?

Why call me black?

Inspiration

Wampamba says she wrote the poem after racism stared her in the face when she moved to the US.

“I was filling in some forms for official business. I was taken aback by the fact that I had to identify myself by the colour of my skin.

Nobody ever called me black while I lived in England. I would have probably taken it lightly, but everywhere I had to fill in forms for an application for this and that, I had to refer to myself as black. It became a little too wayward for me and I just had to scribble something on that experience,” Wampamba says.
 

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