As one made their entrance into the Main Hall on Thursday 1st April 2010, your curiosity could not help but be tickled. Calmly seated on the stage was an ensemble of Ugandan ladies from various walks of life, age groups and Educational backgrounds.

As one made their entrance into the Main Hall on Thursday 1st April 2010, your curiosity could not help but be tickled. Calmly seated on the stage was an ensemble of Ugandan ladies from various walks of life, age groups and Educational backgrounds.Under their umbrella, Intergenerational Ugandan Women’s Theatre Project: female students from the Music Dance and Drama, MDD and Literature Departments; members of the Namukozi Theatre Group Mityana; and female students of Progressive Secondary School Nakasongola; the ladies showcased theatrical talent that not only entertained but also expressed a message, critical to many in the audience.

As the group acted, sang and danced to the amusement of the audience, they depicted the plight of the African woman as she strives to overcome hardships such as immorality, illiteracy, rape, forced marriages and the current problem of sugar daddies. From the dramatization, it was clear that these problems are deeply entrenched in our society and need to be urgently addressed by our government and law makers as well as the basic family unit.

“These performances reflect experiences of women in Uganda and what is important for them, which when highlighted will hopefully better the prospects of women in the country,” Prof. Jane Plastow of the University of Leeds said. Prof. Plastow, together with Ms. Alison Lloyd Williams of University of Lancaster facilitated the workshops, in conjunction with two of their Uganda counterparts Dr. Susan Kiguli and Dr. Evelyn Lutwama. Heads of Departments of Literature and MDD, Dr. E. Okello Ogwang and Dr. Patrick Mangeni coordinated the process of the success of the event.

The Dean, Faculty of Arts, in his message delivered by Dr. Mercy Ntangaare, stated that with such an initiative, the collaborative venture between Literature and MDD departments was implementing one of the university’s goals; transferring knowledge as we build for the future with students’ involvement. He hoped that the liaison between Makerere and the UK universities would be cemented by the signing a memorandum of understanding so as to sustain such partnerships for the academic growth of the university.

The Deputy Vice Chancellor Prof. Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza, who graced the performance as the Guest of Honor commended the departments of Literature and MDD for this collaborative initiative. In appreciation of this milestone, Prof. Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza observed that such partnerships seamlessly fit into the Makerere University’s Ten (10) year Strategic Plan goals; refocusing from a teacher centered instruction to a learner centered pedagogy; turning Makerere into a research driven university; and shifting from the current outreach paradigm to a two way knowledge transfer partnership and networking approach. “Each Academic Unit/Department has a duty to critically align its mandate to the realization of these strategic goals through initiating projects, developing strategies and undertaking activities/programmes that are in line with the trends in higher education and the demands in the global arena” she added.

Observing the trends, Prof. Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza highlighted that Makerere has done, and indeed continued to do a lot more research in the sciences than in the humanities. However, with projects such as the Intergenerational Ugandan Women’s Theatre Project she expressed her optimism that we would witness more collaborative research in the humanities hence an increase in knowledge transfer partnerships. “Partnerships such as this between Makerere students, the women from Mityana theatre group and the students of Progressive Secondary School will enable better exchange of knowledge and valuable skills.” “I am happy to mention the fact that Makerere University has been recognized in this region for spearheading both gender and women studies research” she further added.

In hosting such projects, Makerere University supports its aim to stay relevant to societal needs, increase public understanding of university activities, and promote education as a tool of emancipation. It is from these initiatives that fruitful deliverances of hope and inspiration for women in Uganda will be achieved.