Makerere Journal of Languages, Literature and Communication

About

The Makerere Journal of Languages, Literature and Communication is a leading peer reviewed journal of human interaction in Africa that publishes scholarly articles from across the world. It also includes reviews, announcements and forums. This annual journal, housed in the School of Languages, Literature and Communication at Makerere University, is published by Makerere University Press. The deadline for submission of articles for the regular issue is November 15, every year. In case of a special issue, the deadline will be communicated by the issue editor.

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Current Issue

Volume 1, No. 1

Published 31 October 2025

Articles

  1. Julian Namiyingo (Author)

    Women's agency for political power in Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi's novel Kintu

    In this article, I examine the representation of women in Makumbi’s (2014) novel, Kintu. I explore how two female characters, Nnabulya and Nnanteza, defy patriarchy by transforming their nominal statuses of queen mother and courtesan into avenues for political power. I premise my analysis on a controversy in scholarship concerning women and power in Buganda.  While some scholars assert that women exercise political power in the spaces Buganda tradition allocates them, others reduce women’s roles to ceremonial and powerless positions. I argue that women strategically exploit their stereotyped weaknesses, positions of marginalisation, and gaps in Buganda’s maledominated power structure to assert political agency. I draw on Nnaemeka’s nego-feminism and Goettner-Abendroth’s motherhood as a force of political order, and shared leadership between men and women. The article reveals that women’s wielding of power is a historical reality and fosters a new look at notions of social common good and gender interdependence.

  2. Sophie Lakot Oyat (Author)

    Rural-urban interaction in Ugandan poetry: is the urban an open space?

    This article interrogates the interaction of the rural and the urban in Uganda’s poetry anthologies by analysing what poets construct as discursive interface between the two spaces.  I argue that the rural and the urban, even when they
    are discrete spaces, represent each other in an asymmetrical relationship. Thus, the rural and the urban are in constant, transient and dynamic contact which contact at times seems paradoxical. The article uses textual analysis to enable a scrutiny and discussion of associations and disconnections by focusing on five selected poems. I anchor the reading of the poems on the theory of planetary urbanism and deploy Amin and Thrift’s (2002) concept of transitivity to examine the rural and the urban as spaces of intermingling because of their porous boundaries. Using this theoretical lens, I interrogate the interaction between the two spaces with a focus on Amin and Thrift’s claim of the openness of urbanity. The article concludes that although the urban and the rural, as represented in the selected poems, can be read as distinct spaces, they converge in everyday life and experience from historical, cultural, social, and kinship perspectives. Both the rural and the urban are depicted as sources of knowledge, which sources are replicated in either space in ever-shifting and ever-changing ways. 

  3. Jessy Ssendawula (Author)

    Narrating memory: the sociocultural archive in Kadongokamu songs of Herman Basudde Ssemakula

    This paper revitalises the artist, Herman Basudde Ssemakula, by offering an analysis of four Kadongokamu narrative songs selected from his oeuvre. These function as repositories of the Ganda sociocultural memories and highlight Basudde’s notion of the archive and memory making. I argue that the archive as heterotopia relates strongly and immediately to Herman Basudde’s engagement with social reality in his Kadongokamu songs. I also envisage the fact that Basudde’s message is gradually becoming dearer to listeners as years after his death increase because what he focused on is more evident in the contemporary society, something that appears to crown him as a local prophet. I draw on Michel Foucault’s concept of the archive and heterotopia. Foucault (1984), suggests that archives make sense and become closer to us according to the spaces they occupy in our lives; those that are immediate to us in time and association control us while those distanced by space and time may be dim in strength and authority. I argue that Basudde’s song texts: Africa, Ensi Egenze Wala , Byetwalaba and Abayimbi provide spaces that have more layers of meaning and relationships to places and real-life experiences than immediately meets the eye. They are, in my analysis, items of culture that people select and collect to store in their minds or in their private “jukeboxes,” to reference later.

  4. Idaevbor Bello, Lilian Onyeiwu (Author)

    The later poetry of Odia Ofeimun: a continuation of his tradition of resistance writing

    Poetry remains a medium to interrogate the relationship between state actors and the governed within the Nigerian political landscape. This paper examines the poetry of Odia Ofeimun, published in the opening decades of the twenty-first century and observes that as a poet of the second generation of writers in Nigeria and Africa, the poet has remained consistent with the tradition of the generation of writing for the deprived segment of society. In these later collections, Ofeimun has continued to deepen his mission of feeling “for ears and hearts and hands/to rise with [him]” in the mission to steer society in a positive direction that will benefit all citizens. Drawing on Marxist theory, it is argued that Ofeimun has not wavered in his objective of holding the leaders in his society accountable to the people; and also, that the poet remains consistent in his belief that the power to change society for the better lies with the people. Ofeimun vigorously writes of the travails and plight of the ordinary toiling people in order to “nudge and awaken them” to the reality that surrounds them.

  5. Saudah Namyalo (Author)

    Exploring rural multilingualism in Ruruuli-Lunyala speaking communities of Uganda

    In this study, we examine the nature of multilingualism within the RuruuliLunyala speaking community. Specifically, we focus on the districts of Kayunga, Nakasongola, Buyende, and Kiryandongo. Additionally, we investigate the factors contributing to the notable level of multilingualism observed in a rural context, challenging the assumption that rural populations are homogeneous. The data presented were gathered using a mixed methods research approach integrating both qualitative and quantitative methods. The methods included surveys and group interviews. The findings reveal that the majority of Ruruuli-Lunyala speakers are multilingual, proficient in at least two languages, specifically Ruruuli-Lunyala and Luganda, with some individuals demonstrating proficiency in more than five languages. Notably, there were no monolingual speakers among the 531 participants in the survey. About 36 languages are reported at the community level, with individual and societal multilingualism shaped by social, cultural, linguistic, political, geographical, religious, economic, and mobility-related factors.

  6. Moureen Nanteza, Merit Kabugo, Deo Kawalya (Author)

    Language attitudes and identity construction among L2 Luganda speakers in Gulu City

    This paper investigates how attitudes towards Luganda among second-language (L2) users in Gulu City, Northern Uganda, shape identity construction. Originally spread from the south-central region through colonial administration and missionary education (Green, 2010), Luganda now occupies a prominent place in Uganda’s multilingual landscape. The study examines how non-native speakers in Gulu use Luganda as a social resource for negotiating identity in a multilingual urban context. Drawing on ethnographic observations and semi-structured interviews, the analysis applies Appraisal Theory (Martin & White, 2005) to explore evaluative language that reveals attitudes, emotions, and social positioning. Data were collected across informal settings, workplaces, and religious gatherings to capture diverse interactions. Findings show that L2 users adopt labels such as Mucholi-Muganda and Mucholi wa Kabaka, reflecting both aspirational affiliation and contested legitimacy. These identities highlight Luganda’s dual role: enabling positive identity affirmation while exposing users to ambivalence, exclusion, and stigma. The study demonstrates how language attitudes reshape ethnic and linguistic identities in contemporary Uganda and calls for broader research on indigenous language ideologies and L2 identity formation in similar contexts.

  7. Emmy Rwomushana, Dr. Levis Mugumya (Author)

    Negation and gender identity in Runyankore-Rukiga songs among the Bakiga

    This paper explores how negation as a linguistic device is used to construct gender identity in the Runyankore-Rukiga marriage songs. It examines how the negative morpheme ti-/ta- supports the construction of gender identities. Negation as a linguistic device and the role it plays in the construction of gender identities has not been given much attention in the scholarship of language and gender. In this paper, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) provided a theoretical framework to interrogate how negation, as a linguistic device, can be invoked to enact gender identity. On the other hand, Gender Performativity Theory (Butler, 1990) was useful in understanding the concept of gender as a social construct and how gender identities are performed. The findings reveal that the negative morpheme, when applied to the verb stem in Runyankore-Rukiga marriage songs, can enact positive gender constructs. At the same time, the negative morpheme may endorse negative social constructs for both feminine and masculine gender identities depending on the singer’s intention. Therefore, the use of negation is ambivalent and may depend on specific contexts. This paper notes that the use of negation as a linguistic device by the song composers and singers can address gender inequality among the Bakiga through Runyankore-Rukiga marriage songs. Given the importance of traditional marriage songs in many African communities, it is imperative to examine the language used and the message portrayed in the songs to increase awareness as well as promote gender inclusivity.

  8. Masatu Julius Malima (Author)

    Presidential denial in crisis: Magufuli's COVID-19 discourse in Tanzania

    The World Health Organization (WHO) required all nations to implement mitigation measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. In Tanzania, however, certain political discourses diverged from these global guidelines. This study investigates discursive actions of denial in order to understand how delegitimation is enacted during a crisis. Specifically, it examines the strategies employed by President John Pombe Magufuli to deny the presence and severity of COVID-19 in Tanzania. Two speeches delivered on April 22 and May 3, 2020 were purposively selected from the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) and analysed using Van Leeuwen’s (2008) legitimation framework. The findings reveal that Magufuli drew on personal authority, instrumental rationality, experiential rationality, and evaluative strategies to delegitimise lockdowns, the use of Western masks, social distancing, and the public reporting of cases and deaths. These results suggest that political leaders may deploy discourse as an instrument of power, knowledge, experience, rationality, and social norms to advance denialist positions that reflect their preferred crisis management approaches. Further research is recommended to deepen understanding of delegitimation practices in political discourse during health crises.

  9. Nelson Nsereko, Innocent Masengo, Allen Asiimwe (Author)

    Verbal inflectional morphology in Ugandan Swahili: a parametric approach

    This study examines the verbal inflectional morphology of the emerging Ugandan Swahili variety and shows how it differs from Standard Swahili. Although Swahili varieties share many features, recent research has noted clear grammatical differences among them. Based on data collected between March and December 2023 from five Swahili-speaking communities in western, midwestern, central, and northern Uganda, the study finds that Ugandan Swahili uses both independent words and verbal morphemes to express grammatical features such as negation, subject and object agreement, and aspect. In contrast, Standard Swahili relies mainly on verbal affixes. These results suggest that Ugandan Swahili leans towards patterns typical of isolating languages, which is atypical for Bantu languages. The findings provide evidence of a distinctive Swahili variety developing in Uganda’s informal settings.

Book Review

  1. Moureen Nanteza (Author)

    Book review: the promise of linguistics and language studies in Africa (Eds. Mugumya, L., Asiimwe, A., Ssentanda, M. E., Wagaba, W. G., & Bayiga, F. T., 2024)

    The volume brings together a diverse set of voices in African linguistics to interrogate the potential of language studies in shaping social, cultural, and academic futures on the continent. The editors as well as all the authors of the chapters are some of the scholars working on African indigenous languages today. Moreover, their ideological orientation bears a critical perspective that has been largely absent from research on the continent, particularly in eastern Africa.

  2. Dominica Dipio (Author)

    Book review: beyond monuments: the politics and poetics of memory in post-war Northern Uganda, by Laury L. Ocen (2022)

    Ocen’s Beyond Monuments is both a rigorous scholarly study and a compelling literary work, combining accessibility with analytical depth. It offers cultural, historical, literary, and political readings of war monuments in northern Uganda, portraying them as complex symbols whose meanings are neither singular nor neutral. The central argument contends that monuments are not ‘innocent’: their significance reflects the interests of those who erect them, which often diverge from local perceptions.

Editorial

  1. Dr. Levis Mugumya (Author)

    Embracing the dawn of the Makerere Journal of Languages, Literature and Communication

    It is with great honour that we present the inaugural issue of the Makerere Journal of Languages, Literature and Communication (MJLLC), a multidisciplinary publication established within the School of Languages, Literature and Communication at Makerere University. The launch of this journal represents not merely the addition of another academic outlet, but the creation of a dynamic platform dedicated to advancing rigorous scholarship, fostering critical dialogue, and cultivating innovative perspectives across the interconnected fields of language studies, literary criticism, and communication practices. This first issue stands as a milestone in our continuing endeavour to revitalise intellectual discourse, strengthen a culture of research excellence, and facilitate the dissemination of scholarly contributions that enrich both academic and professional communities. By doing so, MJLLC aspires to serve as a forum for informed, critical, and constructive engagement among scholars and practitioners committed to exploring the evolving terrain of language, literature, and communication.

Film Review

  1. Dominica Dipio (Author)

    Film review: Evelyn Cindy Magara's Tuko Pamoja: the making of a nation

    Cindy Magara’s herculean 13-episode documentary series, Tuko Pamoja (2024), grapples with the identity questions: who are we as Africans and Ugandans, and why does understanding this matter? What do we know about our identities? The
    central argument in the series is that we are all connected. The everyday reality is that we often define ourselves away from the aqueous reality of one ethnic group identity flowing into the other, making the idea of ethnic purity an absurdity. As the title – Tuko Pamoja (“We Are One”) – suggests, the series advocates for embracing a composite, “rainbow” Ugandan identity. It critically addresses the negative instrumentalisation of ethnicity, which has historically impeded national unity.

In Memoriam

  1. Wilson Akiiki Kaija (Author)

    In Memoriam: Dr. Brian Semujju

    In August 2025, African journalism and communication scholarship lost one of its most promising voices with the passing of Dr Brian Semujju, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Communication at Makerere University. He died on Sunday, August 3, after a year-long battle with liver cancer.