Veteran Playwright and Actor Alex Mukulu Dies at 72

What the report says

Nile Post reports that Ugandan playwright, actor, director and musician Alex Mukulu has died at 72, ending a career that shaped the country’s theatre scene for more than four decades. The article says he was born in 1954 and became known for using drama to explore politics, society, culture and Uganda’s changing history.

Among his best-known works were 30 Years of Bananas, Wounds of Africa, The Guest of Honour, Muzukulu wa Kabangala and Journey to Self-Realisation. Nile Post says 30 Years of Bananas, first staged in 1992 during Uganda’s 30th independence anniversary, used satire and symbolism to reflect on the post-independence period. Journey to Self-Realisation was also highlighted for its role in the opening ceremony of the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala.

The report notes that Mukulu studied film and drama at Makerere University after attending Kololo Secondary School, and that his career included more than 30 plays performed in Uganda and abroad. It also says he returned to the stage in 2024 with Kulunkalu ne Kulumbisi, an African adaptation of Romeo and Juliet staged at the National Theatre in Kampala, where he said he wanted to share his experience with younger practitioners.

Nile Post adds that details about the circumstances of his death and burial arrangements were not immediately available. His death is significant because he was widely regarded as a leading figure in Ugandan theatre and a major voice in political and social satire.