The Alex Mukulu You May Not Have Known

What the report says

Henry Mutebe’s Nile Post tribute reflects on the life and work of Ugandan theatre figure Alex Mukulu following news of his death. The article says many people mainly knew him as the stern judge on Bukedde Television’s Yolesa Ekitone, but argues that this public image captured only a small part of a much broader career as a teacher, philosopher, composer, director, actor, playwright and influential force in Ugandan theatre.

The piece uses Mukulu’s play Akattambwa to illustrate his style and ideas. It describes the work as a multilingual production that blended English, Luganda and Kiswahili and brought together political, religious and social themes. Through its story and characters, the play is presented as a critique of leadership failures, corruption, hypocrisy, disease, poverty and social denial in Uganda and, more broadly, post-independence Africa.

A central example in the article is a “madman” character who gathers discarded items such as condoms and other waste, prompting public outrage. The writer says Mukulu used that figure to expose how society often condemns the person who reveals hidden behavior while ignoring the people who created the problem. The article frames this approach as part of Mukulu’s ability to turn theatre into a form of moral and political reflection rather than direct propaganda.

The piece matters because it argues for a fuller understanding of Mukulu’s legacy beyond television controversy. It situates him as an artist who used performance to challenge audiences to think about responsibility, truth and the consequences of private actions in public life.