Mildred Barya
Encyclopedia
Mildred Kiconco Barya born Owemigisha Patricia on 1 August 1976, is a writer and poet from Uganda
. She was awarded the 2008 Pan African Literary Forum Prize for Africana Fiction, but had earlier gained recognition for her poetry, particularly her first two collections, Men Love Chocolates But They Don't Say (2002), and The Price of Memory: After the Tsunami (2006).
Barya has also worked as journalist and travel writer. From August 2007-August 2009, Barya served as Writer-In-Residence at TrustAfrica
, a Pan-African foundation based in Dakar
, Senegal
. Currently, Barya is in the MFA program at Syracuse University
, New York, USA. She has previously lived and worked in Germany
, Botswana
, Kenya
and Uganda. Besides her career as a writer, Barya has also worked as a Human Resource Advisor for Ernst & Young
in Uganda.
Barya is a founding member and currently serves on the advisory board of African Writers Trust
, "a non-profit entity which seeks to coordinate and bring together African writers in the Diaspora and writers on the continent to promote sharing of skills and other resources, and to foster knowledge and learning between the two groups."
in southwest Uganda, Barya attended Mwisi Primary School and Kigezi High School. In 1996, she was awarded a full government scholarship to attend Makerere University
in Uganda. She graduated in 1999 with a BA in Literature. She also while at college joined FEMRITE
-- Uganda Women Writers Association, where she worked closely with Goretti Kyomuhendo
, then Program Coordinator, and Violet Barungi
, then FEMRITE editor.
In 2000, Barya took certificate courses in Information, Communication and Globalisation at the International Women’s University, Vifu, in Hamburg
, Germany. In 2002, she studied Editorial Practices and Publishing Management at Moi University
, Eldoret
, Kenya. From 2002-2004, she rejoined Makerere University to earn a Masters degree in Organisational Psychology.
In 2006-2007, Barya held a writer's residence fellowship at the Per Sesh Writing Program in Popenguine, Senegal, under the instruction of Ayi Kwei Armah
.
Yusuf Serunkuma Kajura, a reviewer for The Weekly Observer (Uganda), claimed that Barya's "poetry blossoms on indigenous African imagery, rhetorical devices and ideas, easily comparable to Okot p'Bitek's
long poem, Song of Lawino." But Barya's poetry "is an enthusiastic trumpet, subtly blown for the woman in society, unlike Lawino’s defence of the traditional African values."
Gaaki Kigambo, a reviewer for the Sunday Monitor (Uganda), claimed that "Barya’s subjects are informed by the things we are used to. In this era of mobile telephony, everyone will identify with Mathematically Proven Love." Kigambo also stated that such poetry "reveals the romanticist in Barya."
Regarding Barya's third collection of poems, Give Me Room To Move My Feet, Peter Nazareth
, Professor of English at the University of Iowa
, USA, claimed that "the poet breaks down and mends herself through spirituality, religion, and poetry, bringing back to life what seemed to be dead" and that Barya "never stops loving Mother Africa."
Barya's short fiction has appeared in FEMRITE
anthologies, Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, African Love Stories Anthology, Picador Africa, and Pambazuka news. Likewise, an excerpt from her novel What was Left Behind earned her the 2008 Pan African Literary Forum Prize for Africana Fiction, as judged by Junot Diaz
, the Dominican-American Pulitzer Prize
-winning fiction writer and essayist.
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. She was awarded the 2008 Pan African Literary Forum Prize for Africana Fiction, but had earlier gained recognition for her poetry, particularly her first two collections, Men Love Chocolates But They Don't Say (2002), and The Price of Memory: After the Tsunami (2006).
TrustAfrica
TrustAfrica, originally called the "Special Initiative for Africa", is an independent foundation that works to secure the conditions for democracy and equitable development throughout the continent....
, a Pan-African foundation based in Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
. Currently, Barya is in the MFA program at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, New York, USA. She has previously lived and worked in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and Uganda. Besides her career as a writer, Barya has also worked as a Human Resource Advisor for Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers ....
in Uganda.
Barya is a founding member and currently serves on the advisory board of African Writers Trust
African Writers Trust
African Writers Trust was established in 2009 as "a non-profit entity which seeks to coordinate and bring together African writers in the Diaspora and writers on the continent to promote sharing of skills and other resources, and to foster knowledge and learning between the two groups."The current...
, "a non-profit entity which seeks to coordinate and bring together African writers in the Diaspora and writers on the continent to promote sharing of skills and other resources, and to foster knowledge and learning between the two groups."
Education
Born in Kabale DistrictKabale District
Kabale District is a district in Western Uganda. As with most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Kabale. It was originally part of the district of Kigezi, before the districts of Rukungiri, Kanungu and Kisoro were peeled off to form separate districts.-Location:Kabale...
in southwest Uganda, Barya attended Mwisi Primary School and Kigezi High School. In 1996, she was awarded a full government scholarship to attend Makerere University
Makerere University
Makerere University , Uganda's largest and second-oldest higher institution of learning, , was first established as a technical school in 1922. In 1963 it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees from the University of London...
in Uganda. She graduated in 1999 with a BA in Literature. She also while at college joined FEMRITE
Femrite
FEMRITE - Uganda Women Writers' Association is an NGO based in Kampala, Uganda, whose programs focus on developing and publishing women writers in Uganda and—more recently—in the East African region...
-- Uganda Women Writers Association, where she worked closely with Goretti Kyomuhendo
Goretti Kyomuhendo
Goretti Kyomuhendo, born Maria Goretti Kyomuhendo on August 1, 1965, is a novelist from Hoima, Western Uganda. A participant at the inaugural International Literature Festival Berlin in 2001, Kyomuhendo has been recognized for her “internationally renowned novels.” She has also earned notice in...
, then Program Coordinator, and Violet Barungi
Violet Barungi
Violet Barungi is a novelist and writer from Uganda, well-known in East African literary circles both for her own writing and her prolific career as the Editor for FEMRITE - Uganda Women Writers’ Association.-Career as a solo author :...
, then FEMRITE editor.
In 2000, Barya took certificate courses in Information, Communication and Globalisation at the International Women’s University, Vifu, in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany. In 2002, she studied Editorial Practices and Publishing Management at Moi University
Moi University
Moi University is a Kenyan public university located in Eldoret, western Kenya. It is one of seven fully fledged public institutions of higher learning in Kenya...
, Eldoret
Eldoret
Eldoret is a town in western Kenya and the administrative centre of Uasin Gishu District of Rift Valley Province. Lying south of the Cherangani Hills, the local elevation varies from about 2100 metres above sea level at the airport to more than 2700 metres in nearby areas...
, Kenya. From 2002-2004, she rejoined Makerere University to earn a Masters degree in Organisational Psychology.
In 2006-2007, Barya held a writer's residence fellowship at the Per Sesh Writing Program in Popenguine, Senegal, under the instruction of Ayi Kwei Armah
Ayi Kwei Armah
-Early life and education:Born to Fante-speaking parents, and descending on his father's side from a royal family in the Ga nation, Armah was born in the port city of Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana, Having attended Achimota School, he left Ghana in 1959 to attend Groton School in Groton, MA. After...
.
Critical reception
Barya's first published collection of poems, Men Love Chocolates But They Don’t Say, won the Ugandian National Book Trust Award for 2002. Her second collection, The Price of Memory: After the Tsunami, also received favorable critical attention as shown by the two reviews cited below.Yusuf Serunkuma Kajura, a reviewer for The Weekly Observer (Uganda), claimed that Barya's "poetry blossoms on indigenous African imagery, rhetorical devices and ideas, easily comparable to Okot p'Bitek's
Okot p'Bitek
Okot p'Bitek was a Ugandan poet, who achieved wide international recognition for Song of Lawino, a long poem dealing with the tribulations of a rural African wife whose husband has taken up urban life and wishes everything to be westernised...
long poem, Song of Lawino." But Barya's poetry "is an enthusiastic trumpet, subtly blown for the woman in society, unlike Lawino’s defence of the traditional African values."
Gaaki Kigambo, a reviewer for the Sunday Monitor (Uganda), claimed that "Barya’s subjects are informed by the things we are used to. In this era of mobile telephony, everyone will identify with Mathematically Proven Love." Kigambo also stated that such poetry "reveals the romanticist in Barya."
Regarding Barya's third collection of poems, Give Me Room To Move My Feet, Peter Nazareth
Peter Nazareth
Peter Nazareth is a major critic and writer of fiction and drama. He was born in Uganda of Goan and Malaysian ancestry, and was educated at Makerere University and at the universities of London and Leeds in England....
, Professor of English at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, USA, claimed that "the poet breaks down and mends herself through spirituality, religion, and poetry, bringing back to life what seemed to be dead" and that Barya "never stops loving Mother Africa."
Barya's short fiction has appeared in FEMRITE
Femrite
FEMRITE - Uganda Women Writers' Association is an NGO based in Kampala, Uganda, whose programs focus on developing and publishing women writers in Uganda and—more recently—in the East African region...
anthologies, Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, African Love Stories Anthology, Picador Africa, and Pambazuka news. Likewise, an excerpt from her novel What was Left Behind earned her the 2008 Pan African Literary Forum Prize for Africana Fiction, as judged by Junot Diaz
Junot Díaz
Junot Díaz is a Dominican-American writer and creative writing professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Central to Díaz's work is the immigrant experience...
, the Dominican-American Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning fiction writer and essayist.
Poetry
- Men Love Chocolates But They Don't Say. (New Vision Publications, Uganda. 2002). (ISBN 9970-9888-0-8)
- The Price of Memory: After the Tsunami. (Mallory Publishing, Devon, UK. 2006). (ISBN 1-85657-102-5)
- Give Me Room To Move My Feet. (Amalion Publishing, Dakar, Senegal. 2009). (ISBN 978-2-35926-001-4)
Short Fiction
- "Raindrops." Words from a Granary. Edited by Violet BarungiViolet BarungiViolet Barungi is a novelist and writer from Uganda, well-known in East African literary circles both for her own writing and her prolific career as the Editor for FEMRITE - Uganda Women Writers’ Association.-Career as a solo author :...
. (FEMRITE Publications, Ltd. Kampala, Uganda. 2001). (ISBN 9970-700-01-4) - "Effigy Child." Gifts of Harvest. Edited by Violet BarungiViolet BarungiViolet Barungi is a novelist and writer from Uganda, well-known in East African literary circles both for her own writing and her prolific career as the Editor for FEMRITE - Uganda Women Writers’ Association.-Career as a solo author :...
. (FEMRITE Publications, Ltd. Kampala, Uganda. 2006). (ISBN 9970-700-04-2) - "Scars of Earth." African Love stories. Edited by Ama Ata AidooAma Ata AidooProfessor Ama Ata Aidoo, née Christina Ama Aidoo is a Ghanaian author and playwright.-Life:She grew up in a Fante royal household, the daughter of Nana Yaw Fama, chief of Abeadzi Kyiakor, and Maame Abasema. She was sent by her father to the Wesley Girls' High School in Cape Coast from 1961 to 1964...
. (Ayebia Clarke Publishing, Ltd. Oxfordshire, UK. 2006). (ISBN 0-9547023-6-0) - "Land of my Bones." Dreams, Miracles & Jazz. Edited by Helon HabilaHelon HabilaHelon Habila is a Nigerian novelist and poet. He won the Caine Prize for African fiction in 2001, and the Commonwealth Writers Prize in 2003....
& Kadija SesayKadija SesayKadija Sesay, also called Kadija George, is a literary activist, short story writer and poet of Sierra Leonean descent, and the publisher and managing editor the magazine Sable LitMag...
. (Picador Africa, South Africa. 2008). (ISBN 978-1-77010-025-1) - "What was left of us." Pambazuka News. (2008).