What We Do
Kitara Nation promotes poetry in secondary schools and higher institutions of learning through the following activities and programs.
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School Poetry Training Projects
It is through the academy that all schools-related programs are run. We work with secondary schools to encourage students to write their own poetry. Through poetry clubs, students write, meet and critique each other’s work.
At a culminating point, the students put together a theatrical poetry production presented to the entire school. Kitara Nation provides guidance, skills development, staging, and publication support.
Schools Poetry Festival
Schools Poetry Shows
Student Anthologies
- Mariam High School, Namagunga, Nabisunsa, Lowell, Seeta High & more
- Poetry clubs, writing workshops, and performance coaching
- Publication of student poetry collections
- Annual Schools Poetry Festival
Verse in Vac Poetry Program
The Verse in Vac (ViV) program works with students during their long school holidays — S.4 and S.6 vacations. Participants sign up for an intensive two-month program that runs writing sessions and culminates in a live production staged at the National Theatre.
The program has produced some of Kitara Nation’s most celebrated productions, giving young poets a professional experience of writing, rehearsing, and performing to a public audience.
National Theatre
S.4 & S.6 Holiday
UGX 300,000
- Hajji’s Daughter · Teenage Revolution · Obwakare na kare
- Ebibuuzo Bikomyewo · Name Your Poison · Bribe the Poem
- Writing workshops, mentorship and performance coaching
- Member profiles and performance videos catalogued online
Poetry Performances
Kitara Nation grooms poets to better their writing, organises performances, and promotes their individual craft. Every year Kitara Nation stages a number of poetry productions across Kampala and beyond.
Our productions have graced major stages including Bayimba Festival of the Arts, Kampala International Theatre Festival, the German Cultural Centre, and the National Theatre.
Individual Showcases
Video Catalogue
- Group: Arrest The Poem · No Speaking Vernacular · Mubiri Bubiri · The Bayimba Festival Performances · The Next Poetry Knight
- Venues: Bayimba Festival · KITF · Goethe Zentrum · National Theatre
- Individual performance videos catalogued and available online
Publications
Publishing is central to the Kitara Nation mission — getting poetry permanently into print and into the hands of readers across Uganda and beyond. The Kitara Poetry Series covers individual poet collections, school anthologies, and collaborative publications.
10 Poem Program
School Anthologies
- The Ten Poem Program — debut collections by emerging poets
- The Kitara Nation Poetry Series — Season One & Season Two
- School anthologies: The Savannah Knows No Friends, and others
- Available in the Kitara Nation Shop
Annual Poets Dinner
The Annual Poets Dinner is a celebration of poetry, poets, and the community that surrounds them. It is an evening of spoken word, music, connection, and recognition of the craft of poetry.
Past editions include the KQ Poets Dinner — a partnership with KQ Africa Creative Arts & Culture that brought together poets, artists, and poetry lovers in an intimate, curated setting.
KQ Poets Dinner
Community
- Spoken word performances by Kitara Nation poets
- Musical performances and artistic collaborations
- Networking among poets, artists, educators and culture lovers
Our Recent Productions
Calendar of Activities
Verse in Vac — Next Intake
Holiday Program · UGX 300,000
Intensive 2-month poetry program for S.4 and S.6 students. Writing sessions, mentorship, and a final production at the National Theatre.
Schools Poetry Anthology
Publication · Sseta High School
The Sseta High School Poetry Anthology — collecting and publishing the finest student poetry from the school’s poetry program.
Emboozi Teba Nkadde
Scholarship · With Bayimba Foundation
A poetry scholarship for young writers aged 18–35 in refugee settlements or living with a disability. In partnership with Bayimba Foundation.
📱 Follow our social media pages for regular updates on upcoming events, workshops and performances.