Theatre
Oluyimba lwa Wankoko
Not translated into English
Byron Kawadwa · 1971
Synopsis
Wankoko, a stranger welcomed at the court of a kingdom, ends up making himself its master. He makes the young prince Suuna believe he will help him win Birungi, princess of another kingdom, then courts her for himself, while Wankwale tries again and again to thwart him. The satire stages the ambitions of a usurping politician against a traditional sovereign.
Context
Written in 1971 with Henry Wassanyi Serukenya, according to Samuel Kasule, the play, sung for the most part, mixes instrumental improvisation, call-and-response singing and dance. It was seen as an allegory of the abolition of the kingdoms by Milton Obote in 1966, then, under Idi Amin, as an attack on his regime. The company performed it in 1977 in Lagos, at the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts, where the audience grasped its message despite the language.
Who it is for
For discovering the work that opened Ugandan musical theatre, a sung satire of power in Luganda.
Prizes and reception
Samuel Kasule reads in it in 2026 a political critique of post-independence Uganda, misunderstood by the international audience.
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