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Micere Githae Mugo

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Micere Githae Mugo
Born
Madeleine Micere Githae

(1942-12-12)12 December 1942
Baricho, Kirinyaga District, Colony and Protectorate of Kenya
Died (aged 81)
CitizenshipZimbabwean
Education
Occupation(s)Playwright, author, activist, instructor and poet
ChildrenMumbi Mugo, Njeri Mugo
RelativesEunice Muringo Kiereini (sister); Robinson Njeru Githae (brother)
AwardsRoyal African Society Lifetime Achievement Award in African Literature, 2021

Micere Githae Mugo (born Madeleine Micere Githae; 12 December 1942 – 30 June 2023) was a Kenyan playwright, author, activist, instructor and poet.[1] She was a literary critic and professor of literature in the Department of African American Studies at Syracuse University. She was forced into exile in 1982 from Kenya during the Daniel Arap Moi dictatorship for activism and moved to teach in Zimbabwe, and later in the United States. She taught Orature, Literature, and Creative Writing.

Mugo's publications include six books, a play co-authored with Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and three monographs. She also edited journals and the Zimbabwean school curriculum. The East African Standard listed her among the 100 most influential people in Kenya in 2002.[2]

Early life

Mugo was born on 12 December 1942, in Baricho, Kirinyaga District, Kenya.[3] The daughter of two progressive (liberal) teachers who were politically active in Kenya's fight for independence,[4] she received a solid primary and secondary education in Kenya, attending Alliance Girls High School.[5] She became one of the first black students to be allowed to enrol in what had previously been a segregated academy.[6]

She went on to attend Makerere University (where she gained her B.A. in 1966), the University of New Brunswick (gaining her M.A. in 1973) and the University of Toronto (where she would gain her PhD in 1978).[6] She took up a teaching position at the University of Nairobi in 1973,[7] and in 1978[7] or 1980[8] became Dean of the Faculty of Arts, making her the first female faculty dean in Kenya. She taught at the University of Nairobi until 1982, and also taught at the University of Zimbabwe.[9]

Mugo and fellow Kenyan activist writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o co-wrote the play The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, published in 1976 and performed at FESTAC 77 in Lagos, Nigeria.[10]

Exile

Mugo was a political activist who fought against human rights abuses in Kenya.[8] Her political activism led to her being harassed by the police and arrested.[8] Mugo and her family (including two young daughters) were forced to depart Kenya in 1982 after the attempted coup of the Daniel Arap Moi government, following which she became a target of official government harassment.[11] She was stripped of her Kenyan citizenship but was given Zimbabwean citizenship in 1984.[7] After having left Kenya, she worked, wrote, and taught from abroad,[6] and later said:

I'm a child of the universe, I have lived in almost all continents.[12]

The poem "Speaking of Hurricanes" by Ama Ata Aidoo, included in her 1992 collection An Angry Letter in January, was written "for Micere Mugo and all other African exiles".[13][10]

Late career

Mugo was the founder and President of the Pan African Community of Central New York, where she initiated volunteer programs in two prisons.[8] She was an official speaker for Amnesty International and a consultant for the "Africa on the Horizon" series by Blackside.[8] She was a consultant for many foundations, and on the board of many journals. She also served as chairperson of the board of directors of SARIPS, the Southern Africa Regional Institute for Policy Studies in Harare.[8]

In 1993, she joined Syracuse University, where she lectured on Pan-African Studies in the Department of African American Studies (AAS),[14] continuing her activism and writing.

She regained her Kenyan citizenship in 2009.[15]

In 2013, she participated in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) conference at the United Nations, the theme of which was "The Elimination and Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls", and in her address said:

Writing can be a lifeline, especially when your existence has been denied, especially when you have been left on the margins, especially when your life and process of growth have been subjected to attempts at strangulation.[16]

In 2015, marking Mugo's retirement from the AAS faculty at Syracuse, a symposium was held in her honour.[14] She delivered the keynote International African Writers Lecture, entitled "African Orature Artists and Writers birthing humanizing Sankofa-visions of Utu, Ubuntu and Justice for All", at the University of South Africa (UNISA) as part of the 4th Africa Century International African Writers Conference in 2015.[17]

In 2021, the Royal African Society in London presented Mugo with the Lifetime Achievement award in African Literature, the first recipient having been Margaret Busby in 2019.[18][19][20]

Death

Mugo, who had spoken of her battle with cancer,[15] died on 30 June 2023, at the age of 81.[21][22]

Works

Mugo was a distinguished poet, and the author or editor of 15 books.[8] Her work is generally from a traditional African, Pan-African and feminist perspective, and draws heavily upon indigenous African cultural traditions. She has also collaborated with the Zimbabwean writer Shimmer Chinodya in editing plays and stories for adolescents in Shona.[7]

Plays

Poetry

  • Daughter of My People, Sing!, East African Literature Bureau, 1976
  • My Mother's Song and Other Poems, East African Educational Publishers, 1994

Literary criticism

Autobiography

  • Writing & Speaking from the Heart of My Mind, Africa World Press, 2012

Selected awards and honours

  • Marcus Garvey Award from the Canadian Branch of UNIA – 1985.[23]
  • Ford Foundation Award for research on African orature and human rights – 1987–90.[18]
  • Rockefeller Foundation Award for writing and publication – 1992.[24]
  • "The Top 100: They Influenced Kenya Most during the 20th Century", East African Standard – 2002.[10]
  • Sojourner Truth Award for Black Woman Professor of the Year, National Association of Negro Business & Professional Women's Clubs – 2002[23]
  • President of United Women of Africa – 2003–2009.[23]
  • Human Rights Award, Onondaga County Human Rights Commission – 2004.[23]
  • Beyond Community Recognition Awards, Inc. – 2004.[23]
  • Lifetime Community Service Award (CNY Women Syracuse Chapter).[citation needed]
  • Distinguished Africanist Scholar Award, presented by the New York African Studies Association (NYASA) – 2007.[25]
  • Girl Scouts Women of Distinction Award, Lafayette Country Club – 2008.[23]
  • United Women of Africa Award for Visionary Leadership – 2009[23]
  • Flora Nwapa Award for excellence in Africana literature – 2013[16]
  • Royal African Society Lifetime Achievement Award in African Literature – 2021.[18]

TV appearances

Relatives

She has two well-known siblings in Kenya: former Chief Nursing Officer Eunice Muringo Kiereini and the politician Robinson Njeru Githae. Their father was Solomon Githendui Githae (1904–2007).[26]

References

  1. ^ "SU Poet, Playwright, Activist Garners International Spotlight". news.syr.edu. 25 March 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  2. ^ Holmes, Judy (11 April 2011). "Micere Githae Mugo to receive 2011 Prize for Excellence in Masters Level Teaching at Syracuse University". College of Arts and Sciences, Syracuse University. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Interview with Africa Writes Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo". Royal African Society. 22 February 2022. [Interview with Desta Haile, December 2021.]
  4. ^ Busby, Margaret, "Micere Githae Mugo", Daughters of Africa, Jonathan Cape, 1992, p, 551.
  5. ^ "Alliance Girls High School: Historical Perspectives". Alliancegirlshigh.com. 28 February 1948. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  6. ^ a b c "Micere Githae Mugo: Biography from". Answers.com. 22 October 2001.
  7. ^ a b c d Killam, Douglas; Rowe, Ruth, eds. (2000). "Mugo, Micere Githae (1942–)". The Companion to African Literatures. Oxford: J. Currey. pp. 166–167.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "Women's WORLD". Wworld.org.
  9. ^ "Micere Githae Mugo to lecture and read at Vassar College". Vassar.edu. 10 April 2003.
  10. ^ a b c Ngunjiri, Mbugua (2 July 2023). "Micere Mugo's achievements were like 'the force of hurricanes'". The Standard. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  11. ^ "A Conversation with Micere Mugo & Ngugi wa Thiong'o" – via Scribd.
  12. ^ "Micere Githae Mugo". azquotes.com.
  13. ^ Yitah, Helen (July 2015). "Review: [Untitled]. Reviewed Work: The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo. Documentary film (78 minutes) by Yaba Badoe". Feminist Africa (20). Institute of African Studies: 125. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  14. ^ a b Enslin, Rob (27 March 2015). "University Honors Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo with Global Symposium April 2-3". Syracuse University News | Arts & Culture. Syracuse University. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  15. ^ a b Osen, Gordon (2 July 2023). "Prof Micere's unrestrained mind brought her fortune and loss". The Star. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  16. ^ a b Enslin, Rob (25 March 2013). "SU Poet, Playwright, Activist Garners International Spotlight". Syracuse University News. Syracuse University. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  17. ^ "Professor Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo". Africa Century International African Writers Conference. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  18. ^ a b c "Press release: Lifetime Achievement in African Literature awarded to Micere Mugo by Royal African Society". Royal African Society. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  19. ^ Warner, Isobel (14 December 2021). "Mugo receives Lifetime Achievement award in African Literature". The Bookseller. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  20. ^ "Micere Mugo feted for lifetime of achievement in literature". The Star. Kenya. 15 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Distinguished Playwright & Poet, Micere Mugo, Dies At 81". Citizen Digital. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  22. ^ Ghosh, Kuhelika (3 July 2023). "Eminent Kenyan Playwright Prof. Micere Githae Mugo Passes On, Aged 81". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g "Curriculum Vitae | MICERE M. GITHAE MUGO". Africa Century International African Writers Conference. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  24. ^ "The Rockefeller Foundation 1990 Annual Report", The Rockefeller Foundation, p. 85.
  25. ^ "Mugo honored with 2007 Distinguished Africanist Award". Syracuse University News. Syracuse University. 6 April 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  26. ^ "The Immortals: The Githaes: Pedigree of education, business acumen" Archived 3 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Kenya), 22 October 2015.
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