Playwright Alex Mukulu dies at 72

Renowned Ugandan playwright, actor and musician Alex Mukulu has died at the age of 72.

Katikiro of Buganda Charles Peter Mayiga described Mukulu as a trainer, actor, songwriter and musician who loved Buganda culture and served Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II.

Former presidential candidate and National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, who is also an artiste, described Mukulu as an “unapologetic voice of reason” in Uganda’s entertainment industry.

Mukulu became widely known for his acclaimed play 30 Years of Bananas, which he performed in the early 1990s. The play used caricatures of Uganda’s presidents since independence in 1962 to encourage audiences to reflect on the country’s political history and question the pace of its development.

Mukulu regarded 30 Years of Bananas as his most successful production. He used a Rwandan refugee as the lead character, a device he said enabled him to examine Uganda’s history from what he considered a relatively neutral perspective.

He said the play was conceived against the backdrop of the political changes that followed the coming to power of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government in 1986.

Mukulu described the period as the “honeymoon” of the new government, saying the political atmosphere created space for artists to address subjects that had previously been difficult to discuss publicly, including Uganda’s presidents.

He drew on Uganda’s history of successive political regimes to make a broader argument about the country’s development.

“Because they have peace, they have progressed a lot more than we did. So I decided to use our political history, in terms of the regimes we went through, to bring about that statement. That what we did in 30 years, a sober country would have done in only five years,” Mukulu said.

For Mukulu, the play was not simply about caricaturing political leaders. It was an attempt to use theatre to interrogate Uganda’s political journey and the choices that had shaped the country’s development.

He also believed successful plays often begin as ideas that are nurtured over a long period before eventually becoming productions.

“Plays are born out of ideas that have been nurtured and grown in one’s mind for a long time,” he said.

Mukulu said the boldness of 30 Years of Bananas was also shaped by the political circumstances of the time.

“I think it was about the boldness which had been denied our society for a long time. No one had ever spoken about our presidents in the public, right? And on top of that, bring their caricatures on stage. No one had ever done that,” he said.

He, however, rejected the suggestion that he was simply more courageous than other artists.

“Not because I’m braver than everybody, but because the time allowed us to do that. That was around 1988, 1990, when the NRM had just come in. So this was the honeymoon of this regime,” Mukulu said.

A career in theatre

Mukulu had already established himself as a playwright before 30 Years of Bananas.

His first play, Muzukulu wa Kabangala, was produced in 1977. He described it as a kind of true story about a young man who chooses to go against the current rather than simply follow it.

His other works included Wounds of Africa, The Journey of Realization, The People’s President, I Killed the Archbishop, produced in 1984, and The Guest of Honor, produced in 1994.

In November 2007, Mukulu performed at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala.

The performance, attended by Queen Elizabeth II and then Prince Charles, was described as different and unexpected but entertaining. Mukulu received a standing ovation after his performance.

He later took a long break from theatre before returning with Kulumbisi and Kulunkalu, an African adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Mukulu was regarded as one of Uganda’s prominent playwrights, using theatre to tell stories about the country and its people while exploring its political and social realities.

His generation of writers and playwrights included figures such as the late Mary Karoro Okurut, Goretti Kyomuhendo, Dr Susan Kiguli, Austin Bukenya and Prof Galukande.

Early life and other work

Mukulu was born in Namutamba Village in present-day Mityana district. He frequently spoke about his roots while working as a presenter at Radio Simba in the late 1990s.

He attended Namilyango College and later studied at Kololo Secondary School for his A-Level education. He credited part of his artistic development to Father Grimes of Namasagali before pursuing film and drama as his majors at Makerere University.

Mukulu was also involved in music and training, further expanding his contribution to Uganda’s creative industry.