At the time of her passing, Esteri Tebandeke, alongside her husband Samuel Tebandeke, was leading the Binti Film Festival, a platform dedicated to celebrating women’s films. Esteri was celebrated across the industry not just for her creativity but for her unwavering support of fellow artists.
Known for her infectious smile, boundless energy, and remarkable humor, she inspired those around her even in the face of near-death experiences and health struggles. A truly multitalented creative, Esteri excelled on stage, on screen, and behind the scenes, leaving an indelible mark wherever her art took her.
Esteri wrote, directed, and produced Little Black Dress, a story about a married woman who “has been struggling to have children but then gets a devastating revelation that makes her reconsider her relationship with her husband.”
This is a 2019 film that was made after she already knew that she had a kidney issue that she had been looking for a remedy for. In the same year, she starred in Imperial Blue, and in 2020, she starred in The Family Tree. The most prominent role, however, was the one she played in the Disney movie Queen of Katwe, as Sarah Katende.
Before she became a Disney actor or a director, Esteri Tebandeke built her foundation as a dancer and theatre performer, training with Mira Nair at the Maisha Film Lab. She started working as a contemporary dancer in 2008, performing with companies such as Keiga Dance Company, Stepping Stones Dance Company, Mutumizi Dance Company, and Guerrilla Dance Company.
Her work took her across major platforms like Dance Week Uganda, Dance Transmissions Festival, Bayimba International Festival of the Arts, and Umoja International Festival, where she first participated as a student and later returned as a teacher for three years.
Her dance journey extended internationally, with performances and projects in Kenya, Rwanda, Madagascar, South Africa, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and the United States, including appearances at La MaMa in New York, Artwater Village Theatre, and the New Orleans Fringe.
Alongside dance, Tebandeke developed a strong presence in theatre from 2008, taking on complex and demanding roles. Her debut in The Lion and the Jewel, directed by Kaya Kagimu Mukasa, saw her play Sidi, and she went on to lead productions such as Maria Kizito, a play by Erik Ehn, and Cooking Oil by Deborah Asiimwe, which was staged both in Uganda and the United States.
She also performed in The Body of a Woman as a Battlefield and The Marriage Chronicles. In 2015, she joined the Story Circle Project led by Jerry Stropnicky, an experience that deepened her understanding of storytelling as a tool for processing trauma.
That same year, she directed Afroman Spice with the all-female Afroman Ensemble, which premiered in Kampala and later traveled to MASA in the Ivory Coast, with further performances planned across Africa. She also worked as a teacher, facilitating arts training sessions and instructing children in schools around Kampala.
Her transition into film began with her first acting role through the Maisha Film Lab, leading to appearances in projects like Sins of the Parents by Judith Adong and Master on Duty by Joseph Ken Ssebaggala.
Over time, her work reached international platforms, with her films being showcased at festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Luxor African Film Festival, and Durban International Film Festival. She later became part of a multinational writing team working on a web series filmed in Accra, Ghana.
Her directorial debut, Little Black Dress (2019), shot in Nairobi, premiered in competition at the Africa International Film Festival and the Luxor African Film Festival. This journey eventually led to her role in the Disney film Queen of Katwe, marking a defining moment in a career shaped by years of disciplined work across dance, theatre, and film.
At the peak of her career, when she appeared in Queen of Katwe, Esteri Tebandeke discovered that she had a kidney condition that required a transplant. Even through these struggles, she did not stop creating; she continued to work and tell stories while searching for treatment.
In 2022, after a successful fundraising campaign, she underwent a successful surgery in which her kidney was replaced with one donated by her husband, Samuel Tebandeke. She returned with her usual energy and went on to start initiatives such as the Binti Film Festival, as mentioned earlier.
However, the kidney complications returned this year in 2026, and this time they proved fatal. Esteri passed away on 24 March 2026 at Nakasero Hospital after a long battle. She would be laid to rest following a funeral service at All Saints’ Church on Thursday, 26 March 2026, at 2:00 pm, with a vigil at the family home in Busabala at 5:00 pm. Burial will take place on Friday, 27 March 2026, in Buyuki, Mpoma, Mukono.
Esteri will be remembered as a gifted and versatile artist who thrived across multiple disciplines, from dance and theatre to film.
Messages from fellow creatives continue to pour in, and while many reflect the breadth of her influence, we have captured a few that truly reveal the heart, spirit, and generosity that defined Esteri in both her art and her life.
Tributes
“How does one mourn you, Esteri Tebandeke?
You always told me that I have a way with words, that my writing was rhythmic, but since learning of your passing, my words feel empty, and my rhythm has run dry. How does one mourn you?
Where do I even begin? Should I start with the first time I saw you on the National Theatre stage as Sidi in Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel, marveling at your brilliance? Or fast forward to when I truly got to know you as the lead in my play, Cooking Oil? You embodied Maria as if that role were written for you. You were a writer’s and director’s dream. Your embodiment of roles was so powerful that it often felt as though you were with me in the writing of the characters you later performed.
In Imperial Blue and Queen of Katwe, you carried a screen presence that was rare, raw, and authentic. You were a polymath of creativity—from your cartoon drawings to your ‘deserving’ jewelry—you breathed art from every pore. You were a gem. How does one truly mourn you?
Your voice was made to sing, and your body made to move. You were smooth on the dance floor. You once told me dance was your entry into the performing arts, and it was through that grace that you captured our hearts. When I praised your talent, you would modestly say, ‘Deborah, I am not as talented as you make it sound, you just like me.’ I did think the world of you—but you were also undeniably, incredibly talented.
I had promised myself to write a script for you and Gdah Oyenbot to perform together. I am too late. I remember you in Doreen Baingana’s Tropical Fish—you turned the character of Christine inside out and wore it like it was written only for you. How does one mourn such talent?
You were also a brilliant writer. It was an honor to direct and dramaturg your first play, Conversations with My Mother. Thank you for that trust. Thank you for bringing Samuel Tebandeke’s Marriage Chronicles to the Kampala International Theatre Festival and for being an integral part of the TebereArts Foundation family. Your brilliance in table work, blocking, and production was unmatched.
Thank you for being part of every production or reading I ever held in Uganda, and for touring with Cooking Oil from Kampala to Los Angeles and Kigali. I will cherish our deep and sometimes funny conversations about the arts during our rides home from the National Theatre.
I am grateful for the kind words you spoke about me at the inaugural Binti Festival—words I never got to hear directly because I was unwell at the time. Thank you for the flowers, the card, and for always showing up. Thank you for speaking truth, for asking questions, for seeing people, for seeing Tebere, KITF, and for seeing me. Your immense heart that created space for others will never be forgotten.
The last time you were at Tebere, I sat in the audience watching you in a reading, overcome with joy to see you thriving again. I had hoped we would partner again for the Binti Festival.
My heart goes out to Samuel Lutaaya Tebandeke and the entire family. I am deeply sorry I missed responding to your last email. I wish I could be there for your final send-off.
What a magnificent force. What a devastating loss.
You graced the world’s stage with your light and presence. The curtains have fallen. Adieu, Esteri Tebandeke—till we meet again.” Deborah Asiimwe – Founder, Tebere Arts Foundation & Kampala International Theatre Festival.
“She was so generous. She supported my podcast when it was just an idea, before it even went on air. She learned songs in a language that wasn’t hers and sang them with perfection. She was always thinking of others and how to support them. She had big ideas—she didn’t think small—and she was always offering herself to help. Her generosity lives on with me.” Patience Nitumwesiga – Film Director/Producer
“It is with deepest sorrow and sadness that I received the news of the passing of Esteri Tebandeke. Esteri was more than just an artist or a filmmaker; she was a pure human soul who loved and cared for people from all walks of life. May my message of encouragement in these difficult times reach Samuel Tebandeke, and my appreciation to him for standing with Esteri through all seasons of their marriage. May the Almighty grant her mercy and eternal rest in peace.” Jamal Musenze – Film Impact Movement.
“Esteri Tebandeke, your incredible masterclass on branding for actors will forever be remembered. The Annual Theatre & Performing Arts Festival will always be grateful for the wisdom you shared during its 4th edition.
Rest in power, THESPIAN.” Mariam Ndagire – Actress, Producer, Musician, Playwright, Film Director.
The END
The post Obituary: Esteri Tebandeke — A Big Creative Mind and an Even Bigger Heart, A Life That Touched Many appeared first on MBU.
