Micere Githae Mugo

Micere Githae Mugo (born Madeleine Micere Githae in 1942) is a playwright, author, activist, instructor and poet from Kenya. She is 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 the United States. Mwalimu Mugo teaches Orature, Literature, and Creative Writing. Her publications include six books, a play co-authored with Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and three monographs. She has also edited journals and the Zimbabwean school curriculum. The East African Standard listed her among the 100 most influential people in Kenya in 2002.[1]

Micere Githae Mugo
Born
Madeleine Micere Githae

1942 (age 80–81)
Baricho, Kirinyaga District, Kenya
CitizenshipZimbabwean
Education
Occupation(s)Playwright, author, activist, instructor and poet
ChildrenCebelihle Sikhosana
RelativesEunice Muringo Kiereini (sister); Robinson Njeru Githae (brother)
AwardsRoyal African Society Lifetime Achievement Award in African Literature, 2021

Early life

Mugo was born in 1942, in Baricho, Kirinyaga District, Kenya. The daughter of two progressive (liberal) teachers who were politically active in Kenya's fight for independence,[2] she received a solid primary and secondary education in Kenya, attending Alliance Girls High School.[3] She became one of the first black students to be allowed to enroll in what had previously been a segregated academy.[4] She later attended Makerere University (where she gained her B.A. in 1966), the University of New Brunswick (gaining her M.A. in 1973) and University of Toronto (where she gained her PhD in 1978).[4] She took up a teaching position at the University of Nairobi in 1973,[5] and in 1978[5] or 1980[6] 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 has also taught at the University of Zimbabwe.[7]

Exile

Mugo was a political activist who fought against human rights abuses in Kenya.[6] Her political activism led to her being harassed by the police and arrested.[6] 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 after which she became a target of official government harassment.[8] She was stripped of her Kenyan citizenship but was given Zimbabwean citizenship. She has worked, written, and taught from abroad since she left Kenya.[4] Since 1984 she has been a citizen of Zimbabwe.[5] Mwalimu Mugo has said:

I'm a child of the universe, I have lived in almost all continents.[9]

Late career

Mugo is the founder and President of the Pan African Community of Central New York where she initiated volunteer programs in two prisons.[6] She has been an official speaker for Amnesty International and a consultant for the "Africa on the Horizon" series by Blackside.[6] Currently she is 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.[6] She is currently a lecturer in Pan-African Studies at Syracuse University, where she continues her activism and writing. She has been quoted as saying:

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.[10]

In 2021, the Royal African Society presented Mugo with the Lifetime Achievement award in African Literature, the first recipient having been Margaret Busby in 2019.[11][12][13]

Works

Mugo is a distinguished poet, and the author or editor of 15 books.[6] 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.[5]

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

Awards and honours
  • Marcus Garvey Award from the Canadian Branch of UNIA – 1985.
  • Ford Foundation Award for research on African orature and human rights – 1987–90.
  • Rockefeller Foundation Award for writing and publication – 1992.
  • Human Rights Award, Onondaga County Human Rights Commission – 2004.
  • Beyond Community Recognition Awards, Inc. – 2004.
  • Lifetime Community Service Award (CNY Women Syracuse Chapter).
  • CNY Women of Distinction Award – 2008.
  • President of United Women of Africa.
  • Courage Award, Girl Scout Council of Central New York.
  • Distinguished Africanist Scholar Award – 2007.
  • "The Top 100: They Influenced Kenya Most during the 20th Century", East African Standard – 2002.
  • Royal African Society Lifetime Achievement Award in African Literature – 2021.

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).[14]

References
  1. Judy Holmes (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.
  2. Margaret Busby, "Micere Githae Mugo", Daughters of Africa, Jonathan Cape, 1992, p, 551.
  3. "Alliance Girls High School: Historical Perspectives". Alliancegirlshigh.com. 28 February 1948. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  4. "Micere Githae Mugo: Biography from". Answers.com. 22 October 2001.
  5. Killam, Douglas; Rowe, Ruth, eds. (2000), "Mugo, Micere Githae (1942–)", The Companion to African Literatures, Oxford: J. Currey, pp. 166–167
  6. "Women's WORLD". Wworld.org.
  7. "Micere Githae Mugo to lecture and read at Vassar College". Vassar.edu. 10 April 2003.
  8. "A Conversation with Micere Mugo & Ngugi wa Thiong'o" – via Scribd.
  9. "Micere Githae Mugo". azquotes.com.
  10. "Micere Githae Mugo Quotes (Author of The Trial of Dedan Kimathi)". Goodreads.com.
  11. "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.
  12. Warner, Isobel (14 December 2021). "Mugo receives Lifetime Achievement award in African Literature". The Bookseller. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  13. "Micere Mugo feted for lifetime of achievement in literature". The Star. Kenya. 15 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  14. "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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