Femrite is turning 20! (Invitation for their conference)

The Uganda Women Writers Association popularly known as Femrite is celebrating twenty years as an organisation this year.

Femrite was founded when women writers gathered on the office of Hon. Mary Karooro Okurut at the Makerere University in 1996. Okurut was a lecturer in the Literature Department at the time. It was attended by Lillian Tindyebwa, Hilda Twongyeirwe, Ayeta Anne Wangusa, Dr Susan Kiguli, Margaret Ntakalimaze, Rosemary Kyarimpa, Philomena Rwabukuku and Judith Kakonge (RIP).

Since then the organisation has been at the forefront of ensuring that Ugandan women writers get their space in both Ugandan and African literature. Its members like Monica Arac de Nyeko , Beatrice Lamwaka, Doreen Baingana, Beatrice Lamwaka , Glaydah Namukasa , Mildred Barya , Jackee Budesta Batanda ,Violet Barungi, Goretti Kyomuhendo, Susan Kiguli, Mary Karoro Okurut, and Mildred Barya have been nominated and won every writing award out there.

Femrite itself has published nine books of poetry and short stories by its members. It also publishes New Era, a quarterly publication whose sections include Children’s World, Culture, Gender Wars, Growing Up, Parenting, and Relationships. In partnership with the Alliance Française, they have also published the first Directory of Ugandan Writers, which includes biographical data, pictures, and short extracts from Uganda’s creative writers, living and dead, including those born or living elsewhere.
As part of its celebrations, Femrite are hosting the Rethinking African Literature Conference in Kampala, Uganda from 28-30 July 2016. The conference will be a platform for writers, scholars, literary critics and other interested parties to engage, rethink and propose possible new directions for African Literature, which has been defined (and undefined) by different agencies at different moments.

If you want to take part in the conference either to present a paper or as a guest click here. For those who want to present a paper, please note that deadline for submission of abstracts is 30th March 2016

Femrite