MAZZI WAMPAMBA IS UNDENIABLY ONE OF UGANDAS BEST POETS HER SUBLIME WORDS CLAD IN VERSES SPEAK TO THE CHECKERED REALITIES OF LIFE

By Richard Wetaya

Mazzi Wampamba is a

dedicated Ugandan poet whose sublime words, clad in verses, speak to the checkered realities of life. 
Her collection of poems in prose on life’s motley of emotions and experiences are set forth in her new book, “Like an Ocean”.
The book launched recently at Kampala Serena Hotel is replete with poems that read like subtle intellect colored with feeling and with thoughts that breathe.
In one of the poems, “The city on seven hills, she gets a tad nostalgic wondering if she can ever come back again to her place of birth, Kampala, the city of seven hills.
Needless to say, Wampamba left Kampala whilst still young.
Her father, Prince Daudi Wampamba, thought it wise to send her away as circumstances in Uganda, under the brutal Idi Amin dictatorship deteriorated in the early 70’s.

WAMPAMBA, THE WORLD CITIZEN
Wampamba moved to England after she left Uganda. She attained most of her early education in England. She later moved to France, where she also attended school.
At length, she relocated back to England upon the completion of her studies in France.
Wampamba moved to Kenya thereafter. She lived in Kenya for two and a half years, working at the International Development Research Center, a Canadian scientific funding agency.

In 1982, the multilingual Wampamba moved to the United States.
It is where she currently lives and works.
“I was born with travelling feet and writing hands. Travel, business networking and administration are my other passions. I enjoy interactions with different cultures of the world. I have lived in many countries and experienced many cultures. That in itself qualifies me to be a world citizen. I speak English, French, Spanish, shone, Kiswahili, Luganda, plus many other Bantu languages. Most of my adult life was molded by the British but my father made sure that I write to him in Luganda to keep my heritage. Having been away from Uganda for long, i get homesick and nostalgic. Uganda is my root; I was born here so yes, I do love the Pearl of Africa, albeit I would love to see a betterment in our educational system, health system and infrastructure.  My dad sent me away on premonition. He foresaw what was going to befall Uganda when Amin took over,” Wampamba says.

A START TO HER WRITING JOURNEY

Wampamba began writing in earnest whilst in secondary school.
“My interest in writing started in secondary school in Uganda. I was inclined to English and Literature. That kind of provided a basis for my early literary works. I love telling stories in short form.My writing is not based on my origin or stand in society. I write for humanity. My first 3 books were geared towards young children as educational bed time stories. I saw a need to write for African children, especially those born in foreign countries. It was my means of educating them about Africa. I have written 4 books thus far,” Wampamba says.
 

The “Kingdom of the South” was the first in a series of 3 books written by Wampamba for children.
“The kingdom of the South takes any child on an African safari filled with fun and excitement. A journey full of experiences and numerous lessons. The child metaphorically touches the beauty and wonders of the African continent as seen in East Africa, whilst reading this book,” Wampamba says.

INSPIRATION TO WRITE
Human interest issues and challenges form the basis for most of Wampamba’s literary works.
“I’m intrigued by all cultures in the world and the different experiences and feelings people have. At times, the inspiration to write comes naturally, that is why I plan to keep writing for as long as I can. At the moment however, I write during my spare time because I have a full time job. The fact that my work is resonating with people not only here but in the United States is a Godsend. I have gotten quite a number of comments from people telling me how my poems reverberate with them, in many ways, ranging from the therapeutic to them forging ahead in life after certain debacles,” Wampamba says.
By her own account, part of the inspiration to write was also spawned after she could not find any African books in the neighborhood libraries to read for her son at bedtime.
“All the children’s books I stumbled upon were based on European and American culture. I found nothing wrong with that but I wanted my son to learn about Africa at a young age so he could appreciate his own culture. Reading for your child does amazing things for their future vocabulary,” Wampamba says.

WHAT’S IN STORE
 Apart from her poems in prose book, Wampamba has embarked on authoring a new novel full of adventure.
It is still without a title but she says it tells the story of an American Journalist who travels to work in Africa during turbulent times.
The novel is primarily on the challenges of working as a Journalist in Africa.
“Before that is put out on the market, I suggest people get a copy of “Like an Ocean”. If you love poetry, this book will be taking them on a journey that leads them to the best and the worst in life’s experiences. The book is a conservation with the reader about love, hate, hurt and happiness,” Wampamba says.

PREVIEW OF ONE OF THE POEMS IN WAMPAMBA’S, “LIKE AN OCEAN”.
“Me Black?”
Why call me black?
Are you color blind?
Why call me black?
Does it help your being?
Why call me black?
Is it a cultural thing?
Why call me black?
Is it a common thing?
The sun so bright on Africa.
The moonlight so radiant all night.
Why call me black?
You forgot
My name?
My tribe?
My continent?
Why call me black?

Wampamba says she wrote the poem after racism stared her in the face when she moved to the United States.
“I was filling in some forms for official business. I was taken aback by the fact that I had to identify myself by the color of my skin. Nobody ever called me black whilst I lived in England. I would have probably taken it lightly but everywhere I had to fill in forms for an application for this and that, I had to refer to myself as black. It became a little too wayward for me and I just had to scribble something on that experience,” Wampamba says.

ON THE PROSPECT OF IMPROVING UGANDA’S POOR READING CULTURE.
The mediocrity in Uganda’s reading culture concerns many Ugandan authors, Wampamba included.

Wampamba however is upbeat that there can be a turn in the tide in Uganda’s poor reading culture.
“When community libraries become a normal thing in Uganda, people will read more. In developed countries, libraries are nearly in every community. Libraries encourage people to read because borrowing books is a free service to the community. The problem of reading in any country starts from the family. Parents should instill a reading culture in their children from a young age. Encourage your children to read something before they go to sleep. We also do not have enough writers in Uganda. When more authors come up, there will definitely be a change,” Wampamba says.

CHALLENGES
“Finding time to write on occasion, is a major challenge, being that I have a full time job with the United States government. But I persist and find time even in the middle of the night,” Wampamba reveals.

Being a single mother, Wampamba has also found it difficult to strike a medium between writing and raising her son.
“Being a single mother is one of the most difficult things in the world but also one of the most fulfilling. In a sense, i have to allocate almost all of my time to fostering my child and looking into myself. Striking a medium between writing and nurturing my son has not been an easy feat. Sometimes I write whilst my son is sleeping. At times I get distracted but still i persist. Through it all however, it has been satisfactory seeing all the things I have done on my own as a mother,” Wampamba says.

Though writing is a penchant which comes with less financial clout, Wampamba still holds a positive outlook.
“Writing is a passion which usually does not usually come with riches, especially in Africa. That however should not dissuade people from writing. It is worthwhile in every sense. When you start writing, keep going, you can never know when lady luck knocks at your door” Wampamba says.

EDUCATION
Wampamba studied atGayaza Primary School, Mengo Girls, Buloba Secondary and Tororo Girl’s High School (TGS)whilst still in Uganda.
In England, she went to school in Cheltenham and took on Liberal Arts, Business Administration and Management at Christie College, Cheltenham and Pitman College, London.
In France, she studied modern and traditional French at InterLangue, Alliance Francaise and Sorbonne in Paris.
When she moved to USA, she enrolled into a master’s in project management at George Washington University in Washington.

FAMILY

Wampamba was born to the late Prince Daudi Wampamba andOmuzaana Wampamba (also deceased).
She lives intheCommonwealth of Virginia, USA with her son, Saava William David Kisakye Williams.

WHAT SHE IS MOST PROUD OF AS A PERSON
“I am very proud of my son. I was able to raise him up alone and he has steadily been climbing the ladder of success. It is not always easy for a single mother to raise a child up single handedly but I owed it to myself and to my son to foster and mold him into what he is today,” Wampamba says.

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