KAMPALA — Uganda’s creative arts fraternity is mourning the death of veteran dramatist, actor, playwright and composer Alex Mukulu, who has died at the age of 72.
Mukulu, who was born in 1954, was one of Uganda’s most influential theatre practitioners, with a career spanning several decades. He was widely recognised for using drama, music and satire to examine social, political and cultural issues affecting Ugandan society.
He founded Impact International and wrote and staged more than 30 plays, including 30 Years of Bananas, Wounds of Africa, Excuse Me, Muzungu and The Guest of Honour. His works earned him a reputation as one of the leading voices of Uganda’s protest and socially conscious theatre.
Mukulu’s contribution to theatre remained significant even in his later years. In 2024, he returned to the Ugandan stage after a 17-year absence with Kulunkalu ne Kulumbisi, an African adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The production was staged at the Uganda National Theatre and incorporated Ugandan music, dance, language, costumes and cultural themes.
His return was welcomed by cultural leaders, including Buganda Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga, who praised Mukulu for his contribution to Ugandan theatre and his ability to use drama to reflect on the country’s social realities.
Mukulu also played a notable role in major national and international cultural productions. His work Journey to Self-Realization was performed during the opening ceremony of the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala.
His death marks the end of an era for Uganda’s theatre and creative arts industry, with colleagues and admirers expected to pay tribute to a practitioner whose work challenged audiences to reflect on society, politics and Uganda’s cultural identity.
Details regarding the cause of death and burial arrangements had not been made public by the time of publication.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.
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