Akello Grace
Birthdate: March 9, 1950
Place of Birth: Soroti, Eastern Uganda
Languages Spoken: Ateso, English, Kiswahili
Written Language: English
Education: B.A. Social Work and social administration, Makerere University, 1974
Employment: Asst. Welfare and Industrial Relations Officer, Eat African Community
Bibliography: Nonfiction: self Twice Removed: The Ugandan Woman (Feminist).London: Change, 1982
Comment: "my poetry addresses alienation, hope, and justice, while the folktales recapture the richness of wisdom in our people", says Akello whose verse is in freestyle. Her contact with Okot P'Bitek both in flesh (he always encouraged her to write) and in song of Lawino made quite an impression. And so did Dennis Brutus's tales of life in prison. Probably the reason she is a politician today, Akello has been influenced by libration fighters like the Zimbabwean Joshua Nkomo(RIP) and freedom struggles like the the Mau Mau in Kenya.