“My role on this avenue is to breathe life into a script by directing the actors, artistically. I’m very careful to mobilize the different talents into a team who must tell a story to the audience eventually.” Mrs. Amelia Mbotto Kyaka
Hey there,
Amelia Mbotto Kyaka is a drama teacher, stage play director, playwright, actress,
national adjudicator for Drama, Speech, and Poetry, and most recently, the President of the Uganda Chapter – International Theatre Institute.
The International Theatre Institute is ‘the world’s largest performing arts organization founded in 1948 by theatre and dance experts and UNESCO” The Organization’s mission is ‘to strive for a society in which the performing arts and their artists thrive and flourish. ITI advances UNESCO’s goals of mutual understanding and peace and advocates the protection and promotion of cultural expression, regardless of age, gender, creed, or ethnicity. It works to these ends internationally and nationally in the areas of performing arts education, international exchange and collaboration, and youth training.
As the (writer and publisher of this article), and an active participant in the Uganda creative and performing arts scene, I met Amelia Mbotto Kyaka during the rehearsals and final staging of Dr. Charles Mulekwa’s play, Man to Man which she directed impressively. I was fortunate to be part of the production – as a Special Effects Make Up Artist. Man to Man was written by Dr. Charles Mulekwa, and produced by Tebere Arts Foundation.
Tebere Arts Foundation, under their annual program the Emerging Artists Intensive Lab, offers opportunity to emerging creatives in the Ugandan entertainment scene, an opportunity for them to have their hands on various segments in theatre and the performing arts, including acting, directing stage, sound, light and costume design, make up, playwriting, among others in order to discover their unique artistic voice. I am fortunate to have been a beneficiary of the program, for the 2023/24 Cohort.
What struck me about Ms. Amelia’s approach to directing was that hers was very guided, intentional and full of gentle wisdom. A director who barks at you to produce results? No, not Ms. Amelia. Hers is a rather gentle yet confident approach, that will call one to pause, reflect, and know that they still have to deliver. And for a woman who wants to step into roles of directing as my journey advances, what a suitable way to be ushered into the sector!
In a recent chat with Amelia, she delivers grails of wisdom from her responses – that nudge one to look deep, reflect upon why they are doing what they are doing. For instance; Why are you pursuing that goal? Is it the hunger, the anger or both? What is passion and why do you keep doing what you do? So I asked Amelia a few questions and are responses are shared below –
What Does Theatre Mean to You?
Theatre Is Life’s most creative and powerful avenue for collaborated artistic expression in performance. It combines the expressive arts, each in its right, to archive a unanimously emancipating experience.
My role on this avenue is to breath life into a script by directing the actors, artistically. I’m very careful to mobilize the different talents into a team who must tell a story to the audience eventually.
It’s a trust game. Director to individuals on the production team: Am gonna trust you and you need to trust me. It’s a love relationship where both parties give a lot! This beats the odds and therefore, will not be easy. For the actor, the talent and discipline sells the act while for the director, respect, organization and belief seals the deal.
What keeps You going when the going gets tough?
God keeps me going with a willing team and relationship. I’ll describe the team for you;
- Receptive/warm/welcoming
- Respectful
- Team players
- Teachable (willing to learn, unlearn and relearn)
- Tenacious
- Resilient
Resilience is a real bonus!
What is your area of need?
To become resilient: that is to be able to recover quickly from difficulties, adapt to adversity, and maintain mental and emotional strength in the face of challenges.
I understand that you are Christian and quite expressive about your belief. Could you kindly share how this boldness in expression of belief has affected you and how you are received or perceived in the creative spaces?) – could be negative or positive. Has there been experiences you’d say are stigmatizing? or if you’ve ever felt the need to hide your faith?
We are God’s people and He is relational, very relational. The very least we can do is to relate with one another as it pleases Him. Directing in theatre gives me a huge opportunity to relate with myself and with others. Get up, dress up, show up!
Get up, dress up, show up!
On Christianity; This has worked out favorably for me. I’m loved and God works out things for me and the team. The Good Shepherd. Am not sure about being stigmatized because I personally haven’t heard it in my face. The world needs love and this is outstanding. God’s love, I mean.
What would you say is the most remarkable or memorable project you’ve worked on? As a director, that you would like to direct again
For my BA-DRM, I directed Tom Omara’s The Exodus a known Acholi legend. Even then, my Lecturers confessed that I had done a remarkable job as a student.
Now with my years of experience, this is one play I would love to sophisticate artistically. I really love the narrative.
Herbert Nkera, aka Akipos, formerly the Youth Coordinator and currently a Communications and Publicity Executive at the ITI -Uganda Chapter, says that he met Ms. Amelia in February 2023, and was very fortunate to work with her on Dr. Jessica Kaahwa’s project ‘Breaking The Rhythm’ – which Ms. Amelia Directed. Herbert describes Amelia as very kind, and he recalls an unforgettable incident during which a performer lost his Adungu after a performance in Fujairah UAE.
“She did not really have to replace the Adungu, but I remember when the performer was sad and lamenting his loss, that Director Amelia offered to give him the money to replace the instrument. And she did. I thought that was very kind. The other thing is that she is a Director of Roots. Because we were working with amateurs and people who had never acted before, on the project. So it was really interesting to watch how she molded the production, to make a show that performed well on the Global scene. She is so kind, she takes time to build. She knows how to build someone from scratch.” Herbert Nkera reveals.
“Also, I don’t know if you are familiar with the saying ‘Give a man a fish and they’ll eat for one day, teach a man how to fish and they will eat forever.’ Now I say this very humbly, and I feel like its quite private, but that’s Amelia’s kind of attitude. She could ask you to teach her something if she’s unsure, but not to do it for her. I really admire and respect that.”
“Director Amelia is a problem solver. I don’t know if in Ganda slang we can say, ‘Amanyi okuyiwa wo omubili’ Herbert adds. The Ganda statement could be translated as an acknowledgement to Ms. Amelia’s selflessness, or sacrificial attitude, to ensure that a project delivers.
In further interaction, Amelia expresses gratitude to the Uganda Government Scholarships Program, as well as some of her mentors;
I’m one grateful Ugandan. I was a government sponsored student and as such received an allowance while pursuing my first degree. My lecturers really taught their classes wholeheartedly and examined us purposefully. We weren’t babied. Infact, they even shared work opportunities with some of us. For example,
- Dr. Michael Muhumuza allowed me to act in Efua Sutherland’s “The Marriage of Anansewa” when he directed it at Bat Valley Theatre in 2004. This not only tested my acting prowess but exposed me to traditional African storytelling as handled with modern techniques.
- Prof. Mercy Mirembe Ntangaare introduced me to research methods early enough when through her course works she was deliberate about us knowing folklore, the source of storytelling in drama. I then learnt more through her study projects to use the arts as a means of education and societal development.
- Dr. Jessica Atwooki Kaahwa literally held me by the hand in playwriting and directing when she took me a long her projects with UPDF, South Sudan council interventions when the region was wrecked with wars, to mention but a few. We have worked on several Theatre Productions over the years and our multiple collaborations highlight a shared commitment to using theatre as a tool for cultural expression and social change. I have gained from Dr. Kaahwa’s prominent role as a director and playwright. I therefore celebrate my active presence as an actress, playwright and director in the Ugandan theatre industry.
- Mr. Daniel Isiiko Kisense gave me access to classified texts on theatre, directing and philosophy. He welcomed me into his personal library to appreciate some long forgotten texts, plays and articles which with hindsight, helped to horn my understanding of the broader cultural and ethical contexts in which we artists create and perform. His exposure helped to develop my critical thinking as I appreciated the analysis of complex ideas, what it meant to question assumptions, and reason logically. To date, a play script is not just a text for me but a source that gives away loads of information about people, their status quo, environment and whole placement.
“I’m forever grateful for the selflessness of my Lecturers. So when I give my all to students and the entire production team, I am only giving of what I was given by God’s personal elect. The gift goes on!” – Amelia Mbotto Kyaka concludes.
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Amelia has directed plays including; Tom Omara’s The Exodus – June 2004, Prof. Mercy Mirembe Ntangaare’s Semitego – Sept 2011, Fr. Grimmes’ The Happy Life Hotel – July 2012, her own children’s play The Ants – Dec 2013, Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice – April 2022, Dr. Jessica Atwooki Kaahwa’s Breaking the Rythme – Feb 2023, Dr. Charles Mulekwa’s Man to Man- Aug 2023, among others.
She has also worked with parties such as Karen H. Kimuli and Dela Kalanzi of Timeless Arts, Aganza Kisaka of Yenze Theatre Conservotoire, The Great Lakes Initiative, Watoto Church, Redeemed Church, Ministry of Gender and Equity, Ministry of Education and Sports, Ford Foundation, The Fr. Grimes Foundation, UNESCO and International Theatre Institute, to mention but a few.
THE END,
THANK YOU.
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