Literary Activism and Women’s Literature in Uganda: The Example of Goretti Kyomuhendo’s Writing

Abstract

Recent studies in Ugandan literature have acknowledged the women writers’ association, FEMRITE, as the main reason behind the exponential growth of women’s writing in Uganda. While studies have focused on the activities of the association and the works of some of its members, no attempts have been made to either locate its efforts within African feminist discourse or examine closely the impact of this literary activist group on any individual writer. This paper seeks to therefore identify some of FEMRITE’s strategies, connect them to specific tenets within African feminism and link them to the emergence of Goretti Kyomuhendo as a representative voice for the association. The paper examines Kyomuhendo’s oeuvre, paying close attention to how her works, like those of other members of FEMRITE, challenge dominant male narratives, promote women’s visibility and power, and transform the reception of Ugandan women’s literature. The paper concludes that literary activism is a crucial form of women’s movement and, as in the case of FEMRITE and Kyomuhendo, it is a potent means of changing women’s representation and projecting women’s issues and perspectives to national and international audiences.