Micere Githae Mugo
Encyclopedia
Micere Githae Mugo is a playwright, author, activist, instructor and poet from Kenya
. she is a literary critic and professor of literature in the Department of African American Studies
at Syracuse University. She was forced into exile in 1982 from Kenya during the Daniel Arap Moi
dictatorship for activism and moved to teach in Zimbabwe, and later the United States. Mwlimu Mugo teaches Orature, Literature, and Creative Writing. Mugos publications include 6 books, a co-authored play with Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
3 monographs, and editing journals and Zimbabwean school curriculum amongst other works. The East African Standard Century listed her amongst the most influential in Kenya in 2002 - "The Top 100:They influenced Kenya Most during the 20th century".
, Kenya. The daughter of two progressive (liberal) teachers, she received a solid primary and secondary education in Kenya, attending Alliance Girls High School
. She became one of the first black students to be allowed to enroll in what had previously been a segregated academy. She later attended Makerere University
(where she gained her B.A. in 1966), the University of New Brunswick
(gaining her M.A. in 1973) and University of Toronto
(where she gained her Ph.D. in 1978). She took up a teaching position at the University of Nairobi
in 1973, and in 1978 or 1980 became Dean of the Faculty of Arts, making her the first female faculty dean in Kenya. She taught at the University of Nairobi
until 1982, and has also taught at the University of Zimbabwe
.
government after which she became a the target of official government harassment. She was stripped of her Kenyan citizenship but was given Zimbabwean citizenship. She has worked, written, and taught from abroad since she left Kenya. Since 1984 she has been a citizen of Zimbabwe
.
and a consultant for the "Africa on the Horizon" series by Blackside. Currently she is a consultant for many foundations, and on the board of many journals. She also served as chairperson of the board of directors of SARIPS, the Southern Africa Regional Institute for Policy Studies in Harare
. She is currently a lecturer in Pan African Studies at Syracuse University
where she continues her activism and writing:
“Writing can be a lifeline, especially when your existence has been denied, especially when you have been left on the margins, especially when your life and process of growth have been subjected to attempts at strangulation.”
― Micere Githae Mugo
in editing plays and stories for adolescents in Shona
.
Plays
Poetry
Literary Criticism
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. she is a literary critic and professor of literature in the Department of African American Studies
Department of African American Studies - Syracuse University
The Department of African American Studies at Syracuse University is a leading Africana studies department in the United States. It is a prominent independent department at Syracuse University that has had a long history of activism and scholarship in Black and Pan African Studies...
at Syracuse University. She was forced into exile in 1982 from Kenya during the Daniel Arap Moi
Daniel arap Moi
Daniel Toroitich arap Moi was the President of Kenya from 1978 until 2002.Daniel arap Moi is popularly known to Kenyans as 'Nyayo', a Swahili word for 'footsteps'...
dictatorship for activism and moved to teach in Zimbabwe, and later the United States. Mwlimu Mugo teaches Orature, Literature, and Creative Writing. Mugos publications include 6 books, a co-authored play with Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is a Kenyan author, formerly working in English and now working in Gĩkũyũ. His work includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature...
3 monographs, and editing journals and Zimbabwean school curriculum amongst other works. The East African Standard Century listed her amongst the most influential in Kenya in 2002 - "The Top 100:They influenced Kenya Most during the 20th century".
Early life
Mugo was born in 1942, in Baricho, Kirinyaga DistrictKirinyaga District
Kirinyaga District is an administrative district in the Central Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Kerugoya. The district has a population of 457,105 and an area of 1,478 km² .The district has four constituencies:*Mwea Constituency...
, Kenya. The daughter of two progressive (liberal) teachers, she received a solid primary and secondary education in Kenya, attending Alliance Girls High School
Alliance Girls High School
Alliance Girls' High School is a national girls school with boarding facilities located in the small town of Kikuyu in the Kiambu District of the Central Province of Kenya, 20 km away from the central Nairobi...
. She became one of the first black students to be allowed to enroll in what had previously been a segregated academy. She later attended Makerere University
Makerere University
Makerere University , Uganda's largest and second-oldest higher institution of learning, , was first established as a technical school in 1922. In 1963 it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees from the University of London...
(where she gained her B.A. in 1966), the University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
(gaining her M.A. in 1973) and University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
(where she gained her Ph.D. in 1978). She took up a teaching position at the University of Nairobi
University of Nairobi
The University of Nairobi is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution goes back to 1956, it did not become an independent university until 1970 when the University of East Africa was split into three independent universities: Makerere University in...
in 1973, and in 1978 or 1980 became Dean of the Faculty of Arts, making her the first female faculty dean in Kenya. She taught at the University of Nairobi
University of Nairobi
The University of Nairobi is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution goes back to 1956, it did not become an independent university until 1970 when the University of East Africa was split into three independent universities: Makerere University in...
until 1982, and has also taught at the University of Zimbabwe
University of Zimbabwe
The University of Zimbabwe in Harare, is the oldest and largest university in Zimbabwe. It was founded through a special relationship with the University of London and it opened its doors to its first students in 1952. The university has ten faculties offering a wide variety of degree programmes...
.
Exile
Mugo was a political activist who fought against human rights abuses in Kenya. Her political activism led to her being harassed by the police and arrested. Mugo and her family (including two young daughters) were forced to depart Kenya in 1982 after an the attempted coup of the Daniel Arap MoiDaniel arap Moi
Daniel Toroitich arap Moi was the President of Kenya from 1978 until 2002.Daniel arap Moi is popularly known to Kenyans as 'Nyayo', a Swahili word for 'footsteps'...
government after which she became a the target of official government harassment. She was stripped of her Kenyan citizenship but was given Zimbabwean citizenship. She has worked, written, and taught from abroad since she left Kenya. Since 1984 she has been a citizen of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
.
Late Career
Mugo is the founder and President of the Pan African Community of Central New York where she initiated volunteer programs in two prisons. She has been an official speaker for Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and a consultant for the "Africa on the Horizon" series by Blackside. Currently she is a consultant for many foundations, and on the board of many journals. She also served as chairperson of the board of directors of SARIPS, the Southern Africa Regional Institute for Policy Studies in Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
. She is currently a lecturer in Pan African Studies at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
where she continues her activism and writing:
“Writing can be a lifeline, especially when your existence has been denied, especially when you have been left on the margins, especially when your life and process of growth have been subjected to attempts at strangulation.”
― Micere Githae Mugo
Works
Mugo is a distinguished poet, and the author or editor of fifteen books. Her work is generally from a traditional African, Pan-African and feminist perspective, and draws heavily upon indigenous African cultural traditions. She has also collaborated with the Zimbabwean writer Shimmer ChinodyaShimmer Chinodya
Shimmer Chinodya is an Zimbabwean novelist.He studied at Mambo Primary School.He was expelled from Goromonzi after demonstrating against Ian Smith's government....
in editing plays and stories for adolescents in Shona
Shona language
Shona is a Bantu language, native to the Shona people of Zimbabwe and southern Zambia; the term is also used to identify peoples who speak one of the Shona language dialects: Zezuru, Karanga, Manyika, Ndau and Korekore...
.
Plays
- The Long Illness of Ex-Chief Kiti, East African Literature Bureau, 1976
- The Trial of Dedan Kimathi ,(co-authored with Ngugi wa Thiong'oNgugi wa Thiong'oNgũgĩ wa Thiong'o is a Kenyan author, formerly working in English and now working in Gĩkũyũ. His work includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature...
), Heinemann, 1976
Poetry
- Daughter of My People, Sing!, East African Literature Bureau, 1976
- My Mother's Song and Other Poems, East African Educational Publishers, 1994
Literary Criticism
- Visions of Africa: The Fiction of Chinua AchebeChinua AchebeAlbert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe popularly known as Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic...
, Margaret LaurenceMargaret LaurenceJean Margaret Laurence, CC was a Canadian novelist and short story writer, one of the major figures in Canadian literature.- Early years :...
, Elspeth HuxleyElspeth HuxleyElspeth Joscelin Huxley CBE was a polymath, writer, journalist, broadcaster, magistrate, environmentalist, farmer, and government advisor. She wrote 30 books; but she is best known for her lyrical books The Flame Trees of Thika and The Mottled Lizard which were based on her experiences growing up...
, and Ngugi wa Thiong'oNgugi wa Thiong'oNgũgĩ wa Thiong'o is a Kenyan author, formerly working in English and now working in Gĩkũyũ. His work includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature...
, 1978 - African Orature and Human Rights, National University of Lesotho, 1991
Achievements
- The top 100:They influenced Kenya Most during the 20th century", East African Standard Century - 2002
- Distinguished AfricanistAfricanistAfricanist may refer to:*A specialist in African studies*A strand of African nationalism during the activism against apartheid in South Africa particularly associated with the Pan Africanist Congress...
Scholar Award - 2007 - Courage Award, Girl Scout Council of Central New York
- President of United Women of Africa
- CNY Women of Distinction Award - 2008,
- Lifetime Community Service Award (CNY Women Syracuse Chapter)
- Beyond Community Recognition Awards, Inc. - 2004,
- Human Rights Award, Onondaga County Human Rights Commission - 2004.
- Rockefeller Foundation Award for writing and publication - 1992
- Ford Foundation Award for research on African orature and human rights 1987-1990
- Marcus Garvey Award from the Canadian Branch of U.N.I.A. (1985).
External Links
- http://www.jrank.org/literature/pages/5120/Micere-Mugo-(Micere-Githae-Mugo).html
- http://search.barnesandnoble.com/My-Mothers-Poem-and-Other-SongsSong-and-Poems/Micere-Githae-Mugo/e/9789966464996