Beverley Nambozo

Beverley Nambozo
Born Beverley Nambozo
Uganda
Occupation writer
Nationality Ugandan
Alma mater

Lancaster University

Makerere University
Genre Poetry, fiction
Notable works Unjumping
Website
walkingdiplomat.blogspot.com

Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunva is a Ugandan writer,[1] poet,[2] actress, literary activist and biographer.[3] She is the founder of the Babishai Niwe (BN) Poetry Foundation formerly The Beverley Nambozo Poetry Award for Ugandan women, which began in 2008[4] as a platform for promoting poetry.[5] It has since grown to include all African poets and runs as an annual poetry award. In 2014, the award will extend to the entire continent, targeting both men and women. The same year, the foundation will also publish an anthology of poetry from poets of Africa.[6] She is also the founder of the Babishai Niwe Women's Leadership Academy. Beverley joined the Crossing Borders Scheme British Council Uganda in 2003 under the short stories genre.[7] She was nominated for the August 2009 Arts Press Association (APA) Awards for revitalising poetry in Uganda after initiating the Beverley Nambozo Poetry Award, the first poetry award for Ugandan women.[8]

Beverley has worked at the Eastern African Sub-Regional Support Institute for The Advancement of Women (EASSI), British Council, as a radio show morning host of two years at 104.1 Power FM in Kampala. She also served as an Audience Relations Manager, conducting regular market surveys. Before that she was a teacher and dance instructor at Rainbow International School in Kampala. Since 1999, she has been in an active dance group that usually holds concerts in and around church and the community. Beverley has also been involved in several HIV/AIDS sensitisation campaigns amongst youth in secondary schools and universities.[9][10]

Early life and education

Beverley was born to Herbert Mugoya and Betty Mugoya. Her father was a diplomat and so she lived in the UK for about eight years of her childhood. She studied at Kampala parents school, Gayaza High School and Makerere College School, before joining Makerere University where she received a Bachelor of Education (Literature, English) degree. She has a Certificate in French from Alliance Française de Kampala and a Master's Degree (Distinction) in Creative Writing from Lancaster University.[11]

Beverley was a child when she became interested in poetry. Her father was very artistic, being a diplomat who was very well-traveled. He translated his explorations into the home, which influenced her. The schools she attended also supported writing and reciting during assembly, in class and even in the dormitories. She often composed raps or poems for her dormitory or class and weaved them into dance routines.[12]

Writing

Beverley Nambozo is a member of FEMRITE and is the author of Unjumping,[13][14] a chapbook collection of poetry that was published by erbacce-press in 2010 after she emerged a joint first runner-up in their annual poetry competition. Her hybrid play entitled GA-ad, which she wrote collaboratively with Ugandan playwright Judith Adong, featured as the play of the month at the New York National Black Theater in August 2013. Her story "The Best Non-crier on Purley Avenue" was published at postcolonial.org.[15] She participated in the Caine Blogathon.

Her short stories, poetry and articles have been published in Drumvoices Review, Femrite, Kwani?, Copperfield Review, Postcolonial text, Feast, Famine and Potluck anthology and other local and international journals. Many travel articles on visits to Mexico, Lamu, Kenya, Egypt, Lake Mburo National Park, Kingfisher Resort, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and other places have been published in UGPulse and the New Vision newspaper. In 2013, she was shortlisted for the Poetry Foundation Ghana prize[16][17] for her poem "I Baptise You with My Child's Blood", and longlisted for Short Story Day Africa prize.[18] Her work has been featured on the Pan-African poetry platform Badilisha Poetry Radio.[19] In 2013, she appeared on BBC Radio 3's Cabaret of the Word.[20] Her poem, "Lake Nalubaale. Lake she Uganda" was selected as the Uganda poem for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.[21]

Published works

Poetry collections

Poems

Short stories

Awards and honours

References

  1. ↑ INTERVIEW-BEVERLEY NAMBOZO NSENGIYUNVA, courrierdesafriques.net Retrieved 25 December 2014
  2. ↑ "Meet Beverley Nambozo the poet", mildredbarya.com. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  3. ↑ jalifestival2013 jalifestival2013.com. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Uganda Ignites in Poetry Passion", afrolit.com. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  5. ↑ Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunva: Interview, mosaicmagazine.org Retrieved 9 January 2015
  6. ↑ storymojahayfestival Beverly Nambozo storymojahayfestival.com.Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  7. ↑ Beverly Nambozo Project participant in Uganda, transculturalwriting.com.Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  8. ↑ FEMRITE Achievements and Milestones, femriteug.org.Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  9. ↑ Some Thoughts on Kwani? LitFest from Beverley Nambozo, mumpsimus.blogspot.com. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  10. ↑ "Beverley: Poetry Is A Journey of Self-Expression", chimpreports.com. Retrieved 15 April 2014
  11. ↑ Nambozo on how to reach more readers in a changing world observer.ug. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  12. ↑ Ugandan Poet Preserves Oral Expression and Promotes Social Change April 16, 2014, globalpressjournal. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  13. ↑ Unjumping by Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunva freduagyeman.blogspot.com. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  14. ↑ erbacce-press. Beverley-nambozo-nsengiyunva erbacce-press.com. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  15. ↑ Postcolonial Vol. 8, No. 1 (2013), Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  16. ↑ Shortlist for Ghana Poetry Prize 2013 Released, poetryfoundationghana.org. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  17. ↑ Creative Writing Alumnus Shortlisted for Ghana Poetry Prize lancaster.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  18. ↑ The Longlist shortstorydayafrica.org. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  19. ↑ Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunva badilishapoetry.com. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  20. ↑ Philip Pullman, Hannah Silva, Beverley Nambozo, Graham Mort, www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  21. ↑ Uganda: Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunva , www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2014.

External links

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