Alumni

Scaling these ranks in just 8 years was not a small achievement, given the bureaucratic delays entailed in moving from one rank to another at my institution, Makerere University, Uganda.

Since April 2014, I have written more than 20 papers in reputable journals and more than 10 chapters in edited, peer-reviewed books. I have also co-edited two special issues of journals – Postcolonial Text (2021) and African and Asian Studies (2020); a volume of edited essays – Discourse and Identities: Writing and Contemporary Eastern African Peripheral Subjectivities (2019); and five anthologies of creative writing – Striding to Triumph: Poems from Kasese Secondary School (2023); I Promise This Song Is Not About Politics: A Poetry Anthology (2022); A Word or Two Before We Part: Poetry from Immaculate Heart Girls' School-Nyakibale (2021); As I Stood Dead Before the World: Creative Writing from Luziira Prison (2018); and Fire on the Mountain: Creative Work on the Obuhikira (2018).

Besides, I have been active in civil society, where I have served as President, Ugandan Pen (2014–2021) and Board Member, PEN International (2019–2022). This work has taken me to myriad spaces, including the Human Rights Council (Geneva, Switzerland), the Pan-African Parliament (Midrand, South Africa), and several world capitals, where I have advocated for artistic freedom and human rights.

The rigorous training and research culture at Stellenbosch – enabled by the well-resourced library facilities – allowed me to mature as a researcher and get recognition as an expert in climate change and sustainable livelihoods, through the publication of several articles in high impact journals. After graduating, I secured a tenure track opportunity to teach at the University of Nairobi. I am grateful to Stellenbosch University and the PANGeA network for giving me intellectual wings to fly.

I have also published several articles in various journals and book chapters. Some of these include: Spemba, S. E (2022). Agentive Intertextual Insertions: (Re)presentation of Albinism in Nwelezelanga: The Star Child's Subtext. Journal of Education Humanities & Social Science (JHSS), 11(1). Spemba, S. E. (2023). Altruism and Agency: Fictional Representations of Albino Vulnerability in Elias Mutani's Human Poachers. Eastern African Literary and Cultural Studies. Spemba, S. E. and Mung'aya, Y. (2023) Intertextuality and Narrativization of Multiple Perspectives: Covid-19 Pandemic in Tanzanian Popular Music. Journal of Education, Humanities & Science (JEHS).

My current research is on Hehe legends, and I am also working on a drama to narrativise the story of Mkwawa. I have offered public service and consultancies to the Tanzania Ministry of Education on various issues concerning literary studies.

You can find some of his works here: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5420-4744 and https://scholar.google.co.za/citations?hl=en&user=7sFlfFgAAAAJ

He holds an academic position as a lecturer at South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU) in Kenya where he has taught literature since his appointment in September 2017. In this position, Yenjela has mentored a number of undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Literary studies is an area Dr Yenjela is very passionate about as evidenced in his prolific research output: articles, book chapters, workshops and conferences. It is in the area of the nexus of history and literature that Yenjela carved a research niche for himself in the scholarly world.

His other research agenda address road traffic injury prevention and community mental health. Prof Teye-Kwadjo received the prestigious Pittu Laungani Best Paper Award for the best paper published in 2019 in International Journal of Health Promotion and Education. Prof Teye-Kwadjo is an active researcher and has authored more than 30 journal articles and book chapters. He has served as an adhoc manuscript reviewer for more than 45 internationally recognised scientific journals. As an engaged academic, Prof Teye-Kwadjo has supervised and continues to supervise several graduate and postgraduate students.

Yvette has attended and presented papers at several international conferences and has published journals in her areas of interest. She has been a visiting scholar/post-doctoral fellow at University of South Florida, USA.