Okello Oculi (born 1 January 1942) is a

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

, and

chronicler A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and lo ...

of rural

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n village life. Currently, he is a private political and social consultant based in Abuja,

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Before that, he served as Professor of Social & Economic Research at

Ahmadu Bello University Ahmadu Bello University Zaria is a federal government research university in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. ABU was founded on 4 October 1962, as the pioneer university in Northern Nigeria. It was founded and named after the Sardauna of Sokoto, A ...

Zaria Zaria is a List of Nigerian cities by population, metropolitan city in Nigeria which at the present time lies within four (4) local government areas in Kaduna State, Kaduna state; it happens to be the capital city to the Zazzau, Zazzau Emirate ...

, Nigeria.

Background

He was born in 1942, in

Dokolo District Dokolo District is a district in the Northern Region of Uganda. The town of Dokolo is its main municipal, administrative, and commercial centre. Location Dokolo District is bordered by Lira District to the northwest, Alebtong District to the no ...

Northern Uganda The Northern Region is one of four regions in the country of Uganda. As of Uganda's 2014 census, the region's population was . Districts As of 2010, the Northern Region had 30 districts A district is a type of administrative division th ...

, back when the district was still part of

Lira District Lira District is a district in Northern Uganda. Like many other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Lira. Location Lira District is bordered by Pader District to the north, Otuke District to the northeast, Alebtong District t ...

Education

He was educated at Soroti College, in

Soroti Soroti is a city in Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main City, commercial, and administrative center in curved out of Soroti District, one of the nine administrative districts in the Teso sub-region. Soroti City was immediately approved ...

, and St. Peter's College Tororo, both in

Eastern Uganda The Eastern region is one of four regions in the country of Uganda. As of Uganda's 2014 census, the region's population was . Districts , the Eastern Region contained 32 districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in s ...

. He then attended St. Mary's College Kisubi for his A-Level education (S5 -S6). He entered

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of n ...

, Uganda's oldest university, where he studied

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

, graduating in 1967, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. During his undergraduate studies at Makerere, he spent one year, from 1964 until 1965, as an

exchange student A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school (high school) or university study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions. A student exchange program may involve international travel, but d ...

at Stanford University in

Palo Alto Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States. In 1968, he obtained the degree of

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

( MA), from the

University of Essex The University of Essex is a public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the ancient arms attributed to the Kingdom of Es ...

, in the United Kingdom. His

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

( PhD), was obtained in 1972, from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

, in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, United States.The Educational History of Okello Oculi
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Professional work

His writing is filled with authentic snatches of conversation, proverbs, and folk wisdom. His poetry, like that of

Okot p'Bitek Okot p'Bitek (7 June 1931 – 19 July 1982) was a Ugandan poet, who achieved wide international recognition for '' Song of Lawino'', a long poem dealing with the tribulations of a rural African wife whose husband has taken up urban life and wis ...

and Joseph Buruga, seeks to re-assert the cultural heritage of Africa with a critique of foreign influences in East Africa.

Selected bibliography

* ''Prostitute'' (1968) * ''Orphan'' (1968) * ''Kanti Riti'' (1974) * ''Malak: An African Political Poem'' (1976) * ''Kookolem'' (1978) * ''Health Problems in Rural and Uurban Africa'' (1981) * ''Nigerian Alternatives'' (1987) * ''Political Economy of Malnutrition'' (1987) * ''Song for the Sun in Us'' (Poets of Africa; 2000) * ''Discourses on Africa Affairs: Directions and Destinies for the 20th Century'' (2000) * ''Song for the Sun in Us '' - (2000) * ''Discourses on African Affairs: Directions and Destinies For the 21st Century'' - (1999) * ''Political Economy of Malnutrition '' - (1987) * ''Kookolem'' - (1976) * ''Malak: An African Political Poem'' - (1976) * ''Imperialism, Settlers and Capitalism in Kenya'' - (1975) * ''Kanta Riti'' - (1972) * ''Orphan'' - (1968) (dramatized poetry) * ''Prostitute'' - (1968)

References

External links