My name is Andrew Mayiga Kaggwa, an Arts and Culture reporter
with The Observer.
I've been writing for different newspapers for more than fifteen
years, my first story was published by the then Monitor Daily in 2001, at that
time, I was a primary seven vacist.
Since computers then were more of luxuries than necessities, my
first publication was unceremoniously my last in many years.
Through my school days, I was a front runner in the formation of
various writing clubs. Its however at London College of St. Lawrence where I
helped co-find and edit a school magazine; The London Eye.
The London eye was a tabloid type of compilation keeping taps on
our school celebrities, local celebrities as well as Hollywood gossip.
Only a month into its running, the compilation had become a hit
in all the St. Lawrence compasses; Cream Land adopted the idea and compiled
their own De la crème Sparkle.
We embodied more ideas into the compilation by adding movies,
songs and album reviews, at the time interviews of the famous students from the
St. Lawrence fraternity (and famous celebrities we could access) were
introduced which saw the London Eye interview Brian Mckenzie of Radio City,
Bebe Cool during one of his various visits, Ngoni, Maurice Kirya and Tanzanian
rapper Rah P.
its at this time that I fell in love with movies, fashion, art,
music, spoken word and criticising.
The magazine however faced problems when the Student Governing
body of London College started viewing it as a threat. When we started giving
daily updates during the German world cup in 2006, we were accused of owning
mobile phones, radios and laptops which at the time were illegal items to have
at school.
Even when there was no physical radio or illegal item found
after a through check up, me and my colleague were suspended as suspected
owners of illegal things.
Upon our arrival from suspension we organized a “We Are Back”
compilation where we took a punch out at shabby prefects, those with the worst
English, the ones involved in coupling and since we were from home, more
Hollywood news, gossip, pictures.
We put the issue up and in exactly one hour, the student's body
had it pulled down, The London Eye notice board was given out to The Scripture
Union and The London Eye was banned for being a school nuisances and taking a
lot of students' time.
At the University after coming across a Features Editor, Carol
Beyanga's address I started writing for The Daily Monitor voluntarily, I did
articles like; ABCs of hooking a campus girl, Now that Salvado is
gone and the controversial “The bible is dividing the church”.
I dropped out of University where I was pursing a business
course and embarked on Journalism and Mass Communication at UMCAT school of
journalism.
While at UMCAT, I was asked to contribute to a school magazine
and I declined because those a head of us couldn't let me edit the whole issue.
After losing Carol's contact, I tried my lack at New Vision but
there were few slots for new Arts writers, I started a personal society and
arts Blog; TSUP UG.
On October 12th, I gate crashed The Observer offices and talked
to a random (Late) Dr. Sarah Namulondo about writing with the paper, as a
result she got me her email address and another editor's address, she asked for
a sample article and I submitted; Shree leaves, sanity returns and it
became my first publication with the paper. Since then I've been writing Arts,
Culture, Travel..its a journey just started.
