UGX20,000
“No speaking Vernacular was beautifully performed; humourous, witty, revealing. I thought the play clearly brought out the shortcomings of an education system that wholly demonizes the use of native languages in schools. No Speaking Vernacular pits Mr. Full stop, the John Speke High School Headteacher against Dambya, (Nsubuga Muhammad) a renegade vernacular speaker. Dambya’s sin is using the Luganda word ‘gwe’ which Mr Full stop considers an unforgivable breach of Article 23 of the school Regulations.
In punishment, Dambya suffers the minimum punishment prescribed by the regulations. He is caned. He is forced to wear old sisal sackcloth, a bone around his neck, and a placard bearing the words: “I am stupid. I speak Vernacular.”
– Herbert Okello Andrew, Lawyer, teacher.
Aha! It’s you Dambya
Today I have caught you!
Today you are not escaping me!
Dambya, I have heard you
Today I have heard you
With my own ears
You have said GWE
Get out, get out,
Get out of dorm!
Come outside here
You let him pass;
Come, come; come!
Every day, every single day,
They report to me
That you use vernacular
And every time I ask you
You deny, you say they lie,
And you can deny, Dambya-
You are so good at denying
But today I have caught you
With my own ears
Full Stop! Full?
I have heard you
Speaking vernacular.
Today, no denying!
Today no?
Kagayi Ngobi is a Ugandan performance poet and a Team Leader at Kitara Nation, a poetry company. He is also the author of THE (NEW) HEADLINE THAT MORNING, PUPU POEMS (2018, Kitara Nation) and FOR MY NEGATIVITY (2019, Kitara Nation). His works have featured in a number of theatre productions and have also appeared in a number of poetry anthologies. Kagayi enjoys performing poetry and plays and he lives in Kampala.
ISBN: 9-798654-861160
Format: Paperback & Kindle
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 44
Published: 2020
Publisher: Kitara Nation
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
“Artistically, it is one of the most engaging anthologies I have read in a very long time. Each poem is special for the way it seems to roll off your tongue. The pattern of rhythm and sound of the words or prosody is enhanced, line on line, by enjambment as feelings spill while carrying the run of the poet’s thought from one line to the next without a syntactical break. The substance of these feelings are so powerful, even tragic.”
– Phillip Matogo, Poet, Author, Critic
“On the whole, this book is a triumph for the author and The Poetry Series by KITARA NATION. The lexical arrangements uplift its rhythm with a triumph of apostrophic repetition that is typical of Kitara’s style (For the mood has changed/And the boys have changed/ And the girls have changed/ And the boss has changed). Each part of the book (which is accompanied by illustrations) is heightened to the echo chamber of history. Oh yes, these words will ring through time.”
– Phillip Matogo, poet, author, critic.
“This anthology also highlights important conversations that need to be had; rape, defilement, female oppression, global warming, politics, discrimination among others. We hear a generation that is worried for the state of our nation, and for the generations to come. You will feel the anger, sadness and mixed emotions through lyrical puns and some of the vividly descriptive pieces, and you will never get enough. I especially loved the ‘Ungodly Hour’ for its ability to speak on these important matters unbiased and while making great stories and songs from some equally tragic experiences.”
-Aanyu O. Deborah, Former President, Writers’ Club, Mt. St. Mary’s College, Namagunga.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.