Goretti Kyomuhendo. She holds a masters degree in creative writing from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, and worked as a tutor in the English department in the same university in 2014.

She is one of Uganda’s leading novelists and her first novel, The First Daughter, was published in 1997. Secrets No More (1999) won Uganda’s National Best Novel of the Year award the same year. She published a novella, Whispers from Vera (2002). Her latest novel is Waiting published in 2007.

She has also published a number of children’s books like Different Worlds and short stories. In 2008, she published two children’s stories on HIV/Aids, which are now used as texts in primary schools on the continent. In 2014, she published a writers’ guide titled The Essential Handbook for African Creative Writers.  

As to what inspired her, Kyomuhendo, said: “Stories. I grew up surrounded by them: the surreal, the magical, the real, the imaginary, and since they were in the oral, transient form, I wanted to retell them; and to reinvent, reimagine and refunction them in the written form, to give them permanence.”

Kyomuhendo is a founding member of the Uganda Women Writers Association (Femrite) and worked as its first programme co-ordinator for 10 years (1997-2007); designing, delivering and managing pioneering literature projects. 

She was the first Ugandan woman to receive an International Writing Programme fellowship at the University of Iowa, US in 1997. In 2012, Kyomuhendo was one of five international judges for the Commonwealth Book Prize. She lives in London and Uganda.

In 2009, Kyomuhendo founded and is now director of the African Writers Trust, which aims to bridge the geographical spaces that divide African writers in the diaspora and on the continent to create synergies between the two groups, and to promote knowledge, learning and exchange.

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What’s your off-duty passion?

A bit of walking, yoga and reading.

What would you have been if you were not a novelist and arts manager today?

Probably a doctor. But most likely I wouldn’t have had the brains for it. I’m intrigued by medicine and love to read on medical-related issues. I also tend to include medical scenes in my fiction.

What signifies your personal style?

I’m generally drawn to African wear.

How do you manage your wardrobe?

I have a good Congolese tailor who makes most of my outfits and I tend to buy from three or four shops for my other clothes.  

While in East Africa, where are you most likely to spend your Saturday afternoon?

When not hanging out with friends, then I will most likely be at the food market.

Describe your best destination yet in East Africa?

I am honestly ashamed to admit that I have not yet visited most of the places that I would consider as best destinations in the region. For example, the game parks, waterfalls, islands … but that’s my plan for next year.

Do you have a must-visit list?

Yes, outside East Africa. I would love to visit Nigeria and Namibia — but Nigeria first — so someone better invite me.

What do you see as East Africa’s greatest strength?

We should be very proud of our water bodies, Lake Victoria and the Indian Ocean, and endeavour to enhance all the possibilities that they present.

What is your best collection?

Books. I collect all sorts.

What’s the most thoughtful gift you’ve ever received?

A dictionary. It’s very handy in my field of work.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever given?

A Kanga, imprinted with the most appropriate message that I truly wanted to convey to the receiver.

Your last great read?

Red Sorghum by Chinese writer, Mo Yan. Actually, I’m re-reading it — it’s one of those books that demand a second read. It has one of the most intricate, non-chronological plots I have ever encountered, and contains elements of myth, superstition and magical realism. It’s over 500 pages, and what intrigues me even more is the fact that I’m reading it in translation.

Which film has impacted you the most?

A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe.

What’s your favourite music?

Pop – and any other with elements of storytelling.

What is never missing from your fridge?

Fruits, vegetables and yoghurt.