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Playwright, Author, Activist & Academic
Micere Githae Mugo was a Kenyan playwright, poet, scholar, and activist whose teaching and organizing linked African literature to liberation projects across continents. Educated at Makerere and the University of New Brunswick, she returned to the University of Nairobi and, in 1978, became the first woman to serve as a faculty dean in Kenya. Exiled in 1982 for her opposition to the Moi regime, she taught at St. Lawrence University and the University of Zimbabwe before joining Syracuse University, where she served in African American Studies, helped launch the Pan African Studies M.A. program, chaired the department, and retired as a Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence. Her classroom centered orature, community, and Pan-African humanism.
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Micere Githae Mugo was a Kenyan playwright, poet, scholar, and activist whose teaching and organizing linked African literature to liberation projects across continents. Educated at Makerere and the University of New Brunswick, she returned to the University of Nairobi and, in 1978, became the first woman to serve as a faculty dean in Kenya. Exiled in 1982 for her opposition to the Moi regime, she taught at St. Lawrence University and the University of Zimbabwe before joining Syracuse University, where she served in African American Studies, helped launch the Pan African Studies M.A. program, chaired the department, and retired as a Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence. Her classroom centered orature, community, and Pan-African humanism. Her writing fused scholarship and performance. She co-authored “The Trial of Dedan Kimathi” with Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, advanced the study of orature and rights in “African Orature and Human Rights,” and published creative work including “My Mother’s Poem and Other Songs.” Beyond the page, she founded and led community organizations such as the United Women of Africa Organization and the Pan African Community of Central New York. Her lifetime contribution to letters and activism was recognized by the Royal African Society’s Africa Writes Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021, affirming her influence on generations of readers, students, and organizers.
Highlights that showcase impact and influence.
Co-authored the landmark play 'The Trial of Dedan Kimathi' with Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
First female Dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Nairobi
Internationally recognized poet, playwright, and literary critic
Lifelong activist for human rights, social justice, and Pan-Africanism
Professor Emerita, Department of African American Studies, Syracuse University
Recipient of numerous awards including the Flora Nwapa Award for Writing
A timeline of pivotal roles and responsibilities.
Lecturer/Professor, University of Nairobi (First female Faculty Dean)
Activist and Writer
Professor, University of Zimbabwe
Professor of African American Studies, Syracuse University (USA)
Key events that have shaped public perception.
Forced into exile in 1982 due to her activism against the Moi dictatorship
Stripped of Kenyan citizenship (later restored)
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Micere Githae Mugo was a Kenyan playwright, poet, scholar, and activist whose teaching and organizing linked African literature to liberation projects across continents. Educated at Makerere and the University of New Brunswick, she returned to the University of Nairobi and, in 1978, became the first woman to serve as a faculty dean in Kenya. Exiled in 1982 for her opposition to the Moi regime, she taught at St. Lawrence University and the University of Zimbabwe before joining Syracuse University, where she served in African American Studies, helped launch the Pan African Studies M.A. program, chaired the department, and retired as a Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence. Her classroom centered orature, community, and Pan-African humanism.
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