John Ruganda

Ruganda John

Birthdate: 1941

Place of birth: Fort Portal, western Uganda

Languages spoken: Rutooro, English

Writing language: English

Education: St Leo's College, Fort Portal, for '0' level and Ntare School, Mbarara, for 'A level. He entered Makerere University College in 1964 graduating in 1967 with a BA. (Hons) in English. While at Makerere, Ruganda was a founding member of the Makerere Free Travelling Theatre, a famous student act that has since died out. He holds an MA. and a Ph.D. from the University of New Brunswick, Canada.

Employment: An accomplished playwright, Ruganda's first job was editorial and sales representative in Uganda for Oxford University Press. In 1972 he was appointed Senior Creative Writing Fellow attached to the Department of Literature, Makerere University. This prestigious position had been held before by such luminaries as VS. Naipaul, Robert Serumaga (RIP) and Ngugi wa Thiong'o. In the same year Ruganda relocated to the University of Nairobi in Kenya. He stayed on until 1982 teaching, writing, and directing theatre and television performances. He later moved on to teach at the University of New Brunswick where he was also involved in research and drama. Ruganda is now Associate Professor and Dramatist-in-Residence at the University of the North, South Africa. He is also in charge of the writers workshop committee at the same university.

Bibliography:
The Burdens. Nairobi: OUI 1972.
Black Mamba Nairobi: EAPH, 1973. Reprinted in 1988 in Nairobi by Heinemann Kenya.
Music Without Tears, Nairobi: Bookwise, 1980.
Echoes of Silence. Nairobi: Heinemann Kenya, 1986.
The floods First published 1980. Reprinted 1988 in Nairobi by EAEP
 
Comment: Ruganda lists his academic interests (it is unclear if this extends to his fiction) as the development of African drama, gender issues in African literature, narrative technique in African folklore and theatre arts.