It was a literati affair on Friday 8th July 2022 at Makerere University as the men and women from different spheres of life gathered to celebrate the homecoming of the eminent octogenarian poet, novelist and teacher, Professor Timothy Wangusa. The Department of Literature in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS) organized the event as part of the University’s rallying activities for its centenary celebrations on course this year.
In his remarks, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Umar Kakumba was pleased to recognize and celebrate Professor Timothy Wangusa as “one of Makerere’s treasured literary sons” whose academic journey was “remarkable and arresting”. He described the event as an acknowledgment of the university’s “rich heritage and the people who have worked resolutely to build its indomitable strength in its century of existence.”
The Head of the Department of Literature was in a buoyant frame of mind and demonstrated his pride in the event by adorning a t-shirt with Wangusa’s portrait. He also declared that he was a conflicted man who did not know whether to celebrate Wangusa as a fellow Mumasaaba that had faced the knife at the foothills of Mt. Masaaba or the literary giant that made the name of the Department sound beyond Makerere’s gates.
Further setting the mood of the afternoon, the Dean of the School of Languages, Literature and Communication, Dr. Sauda Namyalo amused the audience by presenting a toy giraffe to “Baby Tim” through the “youngest” member of the Literature Department Professor Abasi Kiyimba. In a jovial mood, the Principal of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Professor Josephine Ahikire remarked that “Many times, we never get the chance to celebrate the life and work of our icons while they are still with us in flesh and blood. It is therefore a great honour and privilege to celebrate Professor Wangusa today, with the icon himself in our midst.”
