By Agatha N. Biira
When there is a burning desire for wordsmiths to breathe life into the spoken word, they rarely fail to find a platform to express their craft. If such a platform doesn’t exist, they create their own.
A group of Uganda Christian University (UCU) students, passionate about poetry, did just that in 2008. The poetry group named Azania at UCU was born.
For 14 years, the faction has given students a place to express their talents. Once every year, there is a meeting of like minds for the group’s annual ritual, the Grand Azania – a concert of poetry, music, dance and drama – at UCU’s iconic Nkoyoyo Hall.
Whenever people gather in Nkoyoyo Hall for the annual event, ears stand still so they do not miss the craft from the presenters of poetry and music.
Since its formation, the group has been evolving, incorporating performing arts, such as music, dance and drama. Azania’s current president, Edwin Masingano, a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws, says poetry could have stood on its own, but that they thought the group could get better when accompanied by other creative productions.
“When we incorporated music and art into Azania, we pulled another crowd which would not have known about poetry if it was all we did,” Masingano said.
He says he joined the group in 2018 when he came to the university. According to Masingano, the group not only gave students a platform to express talent, but also helped them transition with it into the real world.
He adds: “Students can get opportunities of performing elsewhere through the group because they get the platform to showcase their talents.”
Azania group members, such as James Tukupee, participate in weekly meetings, where they perform before other group members, for purposes of training and mentoring new students.
“If you are performing four times a week, within six months, you will be better than you were at your first performance,” Masingano says.
Azania also has a WhatsApp group, where members post their work for critiquing. It is through such engagements that students get opportunity to polish their craft. The group also conducts trainings before shows, so as to produce good quality work. Azania has taken part in several events, such as participating in guild and university activities through reciting their poems. It has also taken part in many inter-university poetry shows.
Gavin Mugisha, a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws, who is the group’s vice president, said the platform allows members to have conversations about life as they grow their talents.
“I have been part of Azania for four years and it has helped me improve my talent as a singer. I now have a band that I manage, all because of Azania,” Mugisha says.
WATCH: Gavin Mugisha performing Heaven by Mark Mulwanyi at the weekly Azania meeting.
For Mark Mulwanyi, a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws, Azania has helped him work through his stage fright.
“I’m now more confident performing before a crowd; and it’s taught me how to engage with the crowd while performing,” he said.
Philip Bravo, one of the students who usually attends the weekly Azania meetings, says the group’s performances are great and inspirational.
“The fact that they encourage one to freely express one’s feelings through music, poetry and conversations that are opinionated makes one relate easily,” Bravo said. “I think more students should engage with Azania.”
Brian Kabogozza, a student of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication and a member of Azania, says the group has “interesting, motivating and life-changing stories that build confidence and solidarity among the students.”
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