Bwandungi Writes

It’s going to be okay, right?

I left childhood many years ago, followed paths that I thought were meant to bring me success and work satisfaction, and learned skilled that were supposed to bring some kind of fulfillment. My lifelong quest has been a frantic chasing of the perfect balance between creativity and responsibility. Having someone take care of my bills…

Have you heard of musicxray? It is a website powered by AI (machine learning for those who want to get technical). Musicians upload their music, which is analysed and sorted using mathematical algorithms. With a huge database of over 3 million songs, it has identified the characteristics of the ones that became hits and organized…

Empathy as a virtue

Is this a virtue? Can we honestly say that because we care about the welfare of others, that it makes us better people? In the case where the person is of less character than we think they should have, for instance, a thieving drug addict who just stole your phone, or politician who embezzled millions…

Should I talk to you?

It is a beautiful World we live in. If someone says something I disagree with, I can change the channel, look for a different website, unsubscribe from a newsletter, leave a Facebook or WhatsApp group, or even set the place on fire. I have options. Someone told me that I’m thin skinned and needed to…

Sourcing Great African Literature

African Literature. Sigh. People don’t want to be called African authors, Africans shun African authors, Africans fight other Africans about what African literature is and should be. It is a complicated space to occupy, especially because those of us who write stories know what the publishing World desires from the African continent. But they cater…

Micro 0331:

Once upon a time a woman gave birth to a son, the first seed of her womb. When he was placed upon her breast, tiny and wrinkled, the weight of her hopes and dreams descended upon him. The crooning of family and friends who laid eyes upon him bolstered her hopes and she built formidable…

African Literature on Facebook

A few weeks ago a dear friend asked me if I could help admin a page on Facebook. It has taken over my life! I LOVE IT. Our little family has grown by leaps and bounds, and the people who have joined and are actively participating in discussions surprise me with their passion every…

When it is good to be a woman

The past few days have been almost whirlwind like. Finally, one of my projects is complete and I’m proud to share it with anyone who thinks things like these are totally cool. In doing the research I needed to compile my super duper list of African authors, I came across the story of an Algerian…

Unpacking my Afrocentricity

I was born and raised in Uganda. A few years in the middle were spent in Canada. I came to consciousness in Uganda, first fell in love there, bones were nourished there… I consider myself Ugandan even though I do not live there right now. I’m not sure how else to exist. My identity is…

Micro 0122: Silence

It is silent here. Not ‘absence of noise’ silence. I can hear the Movement, slow and unchanging. I can hear crying. Someone is wailing. And yet it is silent, like laying still under dead earth where you cannot hear the sound of birds or the voices of family that just threw dirt over your body….