Goretti Kyomuhendo (Left) shakes hands with the Chief Guest and Head of Afrigo Band, Mr. Moses Matovu (Centre) as Prof. Patrick Mangeni witnesses at the re-launch of "Whispers from Vera" on 26th August 2023, Yusuf Lule Auditorium,
Makerere University on Saturday 26th August 2023 honored novelist and literary activist, Goretti Kyomuhendo, during the closing ceremony of the 6th Mashariki (Eastern Africa) Literary and Cultural Studies Conference held at the Yusuf Lule Auditorium.
The three day conference was organized by Makerere University College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS) in collaboration with the University of Witwatersrand and the British Academy.
The closing ceremony and book launch (Whispers from Vera) was presided over by Uganda’s iconic musical composer and performer who is also, Head of Afrigo Band, Papa Moses Matovu.
Head of Afrigo Band, Papa Moses Matovu delivers his remarks as Chief Guest.
Matovu described Kyomuhendo’s recognition as a celebration of the Africa’s and East African culture and his role as Chief Guest, as a beautiful song and monumental.
“I am moved by the determination of the academia to protect and promote our culture through platforms such as Mashariki Literary and Cultural Studies conference.
Loud support of Arts is very important and as Afrigo, we celebrate 48 years of existence and we extend knowledge of cultural importance of how our people are attached to their identity and culture through music”, Papa Matovu noted.
As composer with experience in using music to transform communities, Matovu expressed the need to preserve culture on grounds that music and culture helps share experiences of who people are, why they exist and what they should do.
Goretti Kyomuhendo
Kyomuhendo is famous female writer and scholar who rose from a newspaper columnist to a novelist.
Dr. Edgar Nabutanyi, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Literature, in his introduction, described Kyomuhendo as “One of the best Ugandan female writers”. She has published four books including; “Whispers from Vera”, “The First Daughter” and “Secrets No More”. She is also the first Director of FEMRITE, Nabutanyi said.
Kyomuhendo gave a brief background about her novel “Whispers from Vera” during a panel discussions before it was re-launched. She said the book, which is about two sisters from different settings sharing experiences, started as a serialized column in the then Ugandan Newspaper the Crusader.
Dr. Edgar Nabutanyi, Head, Department of Literature, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS).
“Whispers from Vera” started as a column in a newspaper called The Crusader. However, within one year, the newspaper closed down and in 2002, I changed it to a novel”, she explained.
“Raised in a dusty town called Hoima, at the age of 14, I came across a copy of “Things Fall Apart”. After reading, it touched my life and I drafted a letter to Chinua Achebe {deceased Nigerian Novelist} requesting him to kindly help me meet Okonkwo and Umuofia to which letter I never received a reply. In 1997, I was invited to the UK for a conference in which I met Chinua Achebe”. She disclosed.
Whispers documents Vera’s experiences as she navigates through the lows and highs of motherhood and the wifehood of a middle class, modern day, Ugandan career woman. Generally, it documents the experiences of a young woman grappling with living in her context.
Kyomuhendo stated that her novels depict strong women who can stand on their own and question things on society. “Vera is the strongest character that I have ever written”, she said.
Why Kyomuhendo chose to Rewrite the “Whispers from Vera”
Whispers from Vera is Kyomuhendo’s third novel about a young woman called Vera .When the novel opens, she is 29years old and when it closes, she is about to turn 40 years old.
It is a story of Vera’s life as she grapples and navigates through what it means to be a woman, a wife, a mother, a daughter, daughter in-law , a career woman who is struggling to advance her career amidst all issues that she is dealing with.
Goretti Kyomuhendo talks about her book “Whispers from Vera” at the re-launch.
Kyomuhendo said they were celebrating the 20th edition of this novel. It was first published by the Monitor newspaper 20years ago that is 2002 but then it ran out of print because the publisher sold off the rights for that book to another publishers., so it has been out of print for over 20 years.
“What prompted me to re-write and rework it was, when it was in existence, it was a very popular story and I can attribute that to the story being relatable. So, most people who see it, they see themselves in the story,”
The young women who are struggling to find the so called Mr. Right and then, when they find him, there are challenges. Motherhood or wifehood of dealing with extended family, how to advance your career and all challenges that come with that.
So for me, it is a story that many people relate to and see themselves in it and I wanted it to be back in print.” She said.
Panel discussion and insights into,“Whispers from Vera”
A panel of five including Ms. Goretti Kyomuhendo herself, Dr. Isaac Tibasiima,, Dr. Lynda Spencer, Dr. Evelyn Cindy Magara, and Ms. Racheal Kizza chaired by Dr. Susan Kiguli and Dr. Edgar Nabutanyi shared insights into, “Whispers from Vera”, describing how the narrations in the book relate to the day-to-day lives.
The panel theme was titled, “The Journey of Goretti Kyomuhendo’s “Whispers from Vera” .
From a serial text to a novella to a novel, the book guides us on how to cope with challenges in our lives. According to Lynda Spencer, Whispers from Vera highlights the characters and features of a young lady grappling with living in a young context.
“In this book, the men are not so much important. Most of the women in this book are in their 30s and above. They are of the working class and they tend to concentrate on their jobs. They have disposable incomes and have a special “I time”.
They are not afraid to talk about sex and any sexual subject”. Spencer noted that, “Whispers from Vera talks about women’s inferiority, women’s experiences and position in marriage”.
Dr. Isaac Tibasiima shares his experience about reading “Whispers from Vera”.
Dr. Isaac Tibasiima said, he enjoys reading the novel. “I enjoy stories. It is interesting to read a novel that keeps you wondering who the next character is.
The things that Vera is going through are the same things that I saw my mother go through. Vera has a strength that I saw in my mother.” Dr. Tibasiima recalled how his mother struggled to raise a family of three without their father.
Dr. Evelyn Cindy Magara said that she has introduced Kyomuhendo’s work to her children.
“A prolific writer with four novels in her name, I applaud you Goretti. In this era where children are so much addicted to TV and phones and lack what to read, I have introduced my children to Goretti’s novels”, she said.
Racheal Kiiza said, “Whispers from Vera” is a good relation of how Ugandans use humor. “As Ugandans, we process through humor”.
The session Chair, Dr. Susan Kiguli highly recommended the novel. “I recommend that you read it”.
International Social Work and Social Development Conference
Call for Abstracts
Extended Deadline for abstract submission | Conference registration now open!!
Theme: Building Resilient Communities to Promote Equity and Social Inclusion for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs)
16th to 18th June 2025, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda
Makerere University’s Department of Social Work, in partnership with the East African Social Work Regional Resource Centre (EASWRRC) and the Association of Schools of Social Work in Africa (ASSWA) will host an International Conference on social work and social development from 16th – 18th June 2025 at Makerere University, Kampala. The Conference seeks to galvanise academic knowledge, debate and critical inquiry and engagements on the topical issues of equity, social justice and inclusion within the framework of attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while foregrounding practice knowledge as experienced by development actors across the globe. This conference is organised under the auspices of the NORAD-supported RESILIENT Project, implemented since January 2021 by a consortium comprising Makerere University, the University of Rwanda, the Institute of Social Work, Tanzania and the University of Agder Norway. The project seeks to enhance the participation of the vulnerable and marginalized members of society in the south in the development process itself. For more details on the conference and the ongoing project please visit the following website: https://resilient.uia.no/about-resilient/.
The Conference further seeks to enhance local content and scholarship through the applicability of generated knowledge to addressing local and regional development problems, within the confluence of the greater agenda for social work and social development and its emphasis on social change. This no doubt has ramifications for the application of good practices in social development interventions in other contexts within Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas and contributes to the evolution of global social work/social development practice which promotes contextual specificity and relevance without removing the need for international networking and collaborative engagement.
We are now pleased to invite you to submit abstracts to be presented at the International Social Work and Social Development Conference. We are particularly interested in presentations and contributions that reflect perspectives on social justice, equity, and inclusion within the framework of attaining the SDGs within developing countries.
Conference Justification
The proposed conference is conceptualised within the indigenisation and decolonisation model of social work which seeks to promote social development through culturally and contextually relevant interventions from the grassroots. The major thrust of the indigenisation and decolonisation perspective is based on the notion that the process of social development can only be meaningful and effective if it provides context-specific and tangible responses to the given social problems in a particular local or regional context (whether it be Africa, Asia, Latin America or any other setting). These responses must be related to the socio-cultural realities in that region (Twikirize and Spitzer, 2019[1]). The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (United Nations, 2007[2]) unequivocally recognises that respect for indigenous knowledge, cultures and traditional practices contributes to sustainable and equitable development and proper management of the environment.
The Declaration of the United Nations World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995 and the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000, and their successor SDGs in 2015[3] all call out the need for role players such as social work and social development practitioners to review their strategies in addressing social injustices, poverty, social exclusion and inequalities. Within this context, social work is well positioned to explore more innovative ways to reach out to the poor and vulnerable and in doing so contribute more efficiently to addressing social exclusion and social inequality and to directly contribute to the realization of several SDGs (3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 13, 16 and 17). Moreover, SDG progress monitoring reports seem to suggest that much work needs to be done to attain these targets by 2030 (Halkos and Gkampura, 2021[4]).
Conference objectives
The conference aims to:
Bring together social work and social development practitioners, researchers, students, educators and policy makers in order to interact, learn and share each other’ experiences on pertinent social development issues.
Generate topical resolutions that can be utilised by local and central governments and institutions in the global South and North to further advance the debate/efforts regarding the attainments of SDGs.
Conference Themes
We welcome submissions on any of the following themes, broadly conceived:
Child Wellbeing and Child Protection
Youth Participation and Inclusion
Older Persons, Social Protection and Socio-economic Participation
North-South and South-South Partnership and Collaborations in Social Development
Green Social Work and Environment
University and Community Engagement/ Role of Universities in Community Transformation
Migration, Refugees and Development
Civil Society, NGOs, Social Work and Development Practice
The role of Social Work in Emergencies, Pandemic Crises and Conflict
Climate change
Rights Equity and Social Justice
Technology and social development
Mental Health
Creative features, languages literature and social transformation
Conference level
This is an International Conference targeting academics, development practitioners, policy makers, students, researchers and the general public from all continents across the global North and South. We however strongly encourage participants from the global South and the Africa region to submit abstracts and papers for the conference.
Specific instructions to authors:
The abstract submitted should not be more than 250 words
Nature of presentation:Poster presentations, oral presentations, panels and workshop formats
All abstracts should be submitted in Microsoft word format
The font type should be Times New Roman 12pt, 1.5 spacing
The presenting author should be presented first and underlined
Indicate the institutional affiliation and the country
Indicate the email address of the presenting/corresponding author
All abstracts should be submitted in English
Themes of the submission should also be indicated.
International networking and benchmarking on social development issues generally
Opportunity to influence social agendas within the global development landscape and social programming through impacting the regional and international social work associations and the United Nations agencies .
Conference Keynote Speakers
Prof. Antoinette Lombard, IASSW President and Professor of Social Work at University of Pretoria.
Prof. Jeannette Bayisenge, former Minister of Gender and Family Protection in Rwanda and Professor of Gender Studies, University of |Rwanda.
Prof. Ann Christin E. Nilsen, PI of the RESILIENT project and Professor of Sociology at the University of Agder, Norway.
Dr. Zena Mnasi Mabeyo, Head of the Department of Psychology at the Institute of Social Work, Tanzania.
Or in person: With $100 registration fees for non-Africa-based participants; Students $10 or UGX 30,000; National applicants $30 or UGX 100,000.
For Registration
Extended Deadline for abstract submission:30th April 2025
Date for confirmation of acceptance of abstracts: Given on a rolling basis effective 15th of March 2025. This will continue up to the 15th of May 2025.
Chair Local Organizing Committee Prof. Eric Awich Ochen Tel: +256 772 352 887 Email: eric.ochen@mak.ac.ug
Conference Secretariat Ms Doreen Ainembabazi Tel: +256 774 468 902 Email: ainembabazi.dorynn@gmail.com and
Ms Prisciline Aciro Tel: +256 778 549 669 Email: resilientconference2025@mak.ac.ug
[1] Twikirize, Janestic and Spitzer, Helmut (2019) Social work practice in Africa: indigenous and innovative approaches. Kampala: Fountain Publishers
This call for abstracts is under the new U.S. Studies Center in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration supported by the U.S. Mission Uganda. As part of the startup grant for the Center, funds were earmarked for the initiation of the research agenda on the Study of the United States. The research agenda is pitched on how Uganda’s civilizational experience—related to progress in culture, economy, peace, science, and technology; can be strengthened by leveraging fraternal relations between the people of Uganda and the United States. Therefore, the Department of Political Science invites contributions to a special publication on, “Relationality Between Uganda and the US since 1945”.
The sense of “Relationality”
We take “Relationality” to connote encounters between civilizations. It speaks to the debate on how civilizations can transform each other through engagement. Where civilizations are suggestively transformed on account of relationality, the outcome is “relational interdependence”— relating to how the aspects drawn from other civilizations become constants in the national life of a people. Relational interdependence is a debate and it is sufficient to note that its generative power is drawn from “cross-fertilization—relating to enriching the existing ways of knowing and understanding life in general and “sharing”—relating to forms of exchange among people from different civilizations.
We, therefore, invite researchers from the disciplinary boundaries of humanities and social sciences to engage with the notions of “cross-fertilization” and “sharing” to examine how Uganda-United States relations have impacted Uganda’s civilizational experience as reflected in the different domains of (our) Uganda national life, including:
Peace and Security
Development/Foreign Assistance
Public Health
Education
Press and media
Socio-economics
Political organization
Arts, Music
Literature, Language
Visualization of national history and heritage
The researchers should interrogate the extent to which relations between Uganda and the United States have impacted one of the domains of Uganda’s national life (as listed above) since 1945.
The Plan
We plan to commission researchers to undertake studies on the domains of Uganda’s national life and how Uganda-US relations have impacted them since 1945. We shall publish an edited book volume with Routledge Publishers as part of the dissemination of the findings.
We thus ask interested researchers to submit 500-word abstracts proposing a paper contribution to the research agenda. The abstracts should revolve around one of the domains of Uganda’s national life. Researchers should also provide the titles of two recent publications on related topics.
Selected researchers will receive a research grant of USD 4000, to facilitate data collection and writing.
The Process
A. Abstracts should be submitted by 15th January 2025, to the investigators:
Dr. Edward S Kaweesi (PI) edward.kaweesi@mak.ac.ug
Prof. Paul Omach (Co-PI) paul.omach@mak.ac.ug
Prof. Phillip Kasaija(Co-PI) phillip.kasaija@mak.ac.ug
B. The selection process will be concluded on 20th January 2025, and the results will be communicated on 22nd January 2025 C. The meeting between the selected researchers and the investigators will take place on 30th January 2025. D. Launch of the research agenda will take place on 21st February 2025. E. Data Collection will take two months, from 1st March to 1st May, 2025 F. Review meeting, 9th May 2025 G. Writing process to take two months, from 15th May to 15th July H. Peer Review of the first drafts (August) I. 15 August, 2025, U.S Studies Center Public Dialogue on “Relationality Between Uganda and the United States since 1945”. J. Revision of the drafts to take one month (September) K. Peer review of the second drafts (October) L. Revision of the drafts to take one month (November) M. Submission of the final paper, 1 December 2025 N. Editorial Review and Proof Reading (January 2026) O. Submission to the Publisher (February 2026)
Please direct inquiries to the investigators listed above.
The School of Languages, Literature, and Communication at Makerere University held a stakeholders’ workshop to review the Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies (BICAS) program. The workshop, held on 5th December, 2024 aimed at refining the curriculum to meet the evolving academic and professional needs of students and employers.
Assoc. Prof. Saudah Namyalo contributing during the discussion.
The Dean of the School, Associate Professor Saudah Namyalo emphasized the significance of engaging stakeholders in the curriculum review process. She noted that feedback from students, employers, and academia is crucial for identifying gaps and improving the program. “It’s a very important stage in our curriculum review to ensure that we have stakeholders’ workshops. This is an opportunity to hear from potential employers, students, and academic experts. Today, for example, we’ve learned that many of our graduates are not fully grounded in the science of the language, and because of that feedback, we are going to improve on it,” she said.
The Dean highlighted gaps in the current curriculum, such as limited focus on linguistic aspects like syntax, morphology, phonology, and semantics, which are essential for students pursuing advanced degrees. Additionally, the cultural component of Chinese language education was found to be inadequate. “There’s no way you can teach a language detached from its culture. We are going to introduce courses emphasizing the culture of the Chinese so that the two go hand in hand,” she added.
A section of former students, stakeholders and Mak staff during the meeting.
The review aims to address these gaps by incorporating courses that build linguistic competence and cultural understanding. The program will now cater to both beginners and advanced learners, allowing graduates to pursue academic careers, including master’s and PhD programs, in Chinese linguistics. It will also strengthen the Asian Studies strand, enabling students to specialize in either Chinese language or broader Asian studies.
Dr. Enock Sebuyungo: Aligning Uganda’s Needs with Global Opportunities
Dr. Enock Sebuyungo, Head of the Department of European and Oriental Languages, underlined the growing importance of Chinese proficiency in Uganda. He noted that China’s rise as a global economic superpower has strengthened ties with Uganda in trade, education, and infrastructure development. “Chinese companies dominate Uganda’s major infrastructure projects, and increasing numbers of Ugandans engage in trade and studies in China. Proficiency in Chinese offers competitive advantages for accessing the Chinese market,” he said.
Dr. Enock Sebuyungo making his opening remarks.
Despite this, students under previous programs faced challenges achieving desired proficiency levels in international tests like HSK3. Employers expressed dissatisfaction with graduates’ language skills, and scholarships for study in China remained underutilized. The proposed BICAS program aims to bridge these gaps by producing graduates proficient in Chinese, knowledgeable about Asia’s economic and geopolitical landscape, and skilled in business, tourism, and diplomacy.
The BICAS program aligns with Makerere University’s expertise in foreign language instruction and supports Uganda’s strategic need to engage with Asia’s rapid development. It is expected to attract students from Uganda and East Africa, where Chinese is currently offered only as a short course. The program projects an annual revenue increase of UGX 865 million from an estimated 200 enrolled students. Partnerships with Chinese companies will provide scholarships for 10-15 students per intake, ensuring financial sustainability and accessibility.
Mr. Tang Fei, one of the Directors of the Confucius Institute at Mak attending the curriculum review.
Uganda joins a growing list of countries incorporating Chinese studies into higher education, with similar programs established in Botswana, Australia, and the United States. Makerere University, which already trains secondary school Chinese teachers, is poised to create a critical mass of experts to sustain Chinese language education and strengthen Uganda-China bilateral relations.
Dr. Sebuyungo expressed gratitude to Associate Professor Helen Nkabala, Principal of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), for her moral and financial support in organizing the workshop. He also thanked the Confucius Institute and Xiangtan University for their invaluable contributions to the program. “Confucius Institute and Xiangtan University sent us professors who reviewed this course. What we are looking at is a revised course done by professors from Xiangtan University, and we deeply appreciate their support,” he said.
Some of the stakeholders attending the curriculum review.
The Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies program positions Makerere University as a regional leader in language and cultural studies. It prepares graduates to address gaps in trade, diplomacy, and cultural exchange while enhancing Uganda’s ability to benefit from China’s global influence. The workshop marked a pivotal step in ensuring the program aligns with both local and international demands.
One of the stakeholders from Kyambogo University contributing.