Grace Akello (born 1950) is a

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It 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 ...

n poet, essayist, folklorist, and politician. She is the Uganda Ambassador to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Early life and education

Dinah Grace Akello is

Iteso ''ITESO, Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara'' — distinct from the University of Guadalajara — also known as ''Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente, ITESO'' (Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education), is a ...

, and was born near

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

, in the Eastern Region of the

Uganda Protectorate The Protectorate of Uganda was a protectorate of the British Empire from 1894 to 1962. In 1893 the Imperial British East Africa Company transferred its administration rights of territory consisting mainly of the Kingdom of Buganda to the Br ...

. She studied Social Administration and Social Work at

Makerere University Makerere University (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in ...

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

. In 1979, she lived in

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

after fleeing from

Idi Amin Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 30 May 192816 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until Uganda–Tanzania War, his overthrow in 1979. He ruled as a Military dictatorship, ...

's government as a refugee.

Career

She worked as a magazine editor in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

and Tanzania before traveling to England in the 1980s to become an assistant editor for the

Commonwealth Secretariat The Commonwealth Secretariat is the main intergovernmental agency and central institution of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is responsible for facilitating co-operation between members; organising meetings, including the Commonwealth Heads of ...

. Akello held the position from 1983 to 1990.

Politics

In 1990, Grace Akello went back to Uganda and created a commission to help solve the issue of the displacement and killing of

Teso people The Iteso (or people of Teso) are a Nilotic people, Nilotic ethnic group in Teso sub-region, eastern Uganda and Busia County, western Kenya. Teso refers to the traditional homeland of the Iteso, and ''Teso language, Ateso'' is their language. ...

during Amin's presidency. This commission lasted until 1996. In 1996, she became a member of the

Parliament of Uganda The Parliament of Uganda is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Uganda. One of its primary functions is to pass laws that support effective governance in the country. Government ministers are required to answer to the people's represe ...

, and in 1999 was appointed Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development. From 1999 to 2006, she was a member of the

Cabinet of Uganda There are 30 Cabinet ministers and 50 Ministers of State in the Cabinet of Uganda (2021 to 2026). The number of state ministers reduced by one in September 2024 after the death of Hon. Sarah Mateke who was the state minister for defence. Accor ...

. She held the position of Minister of Microfinance Initiatives from 1999 to 2003, and the Minister of Northern Uganda from 2003 until losing her seat in 2006. Grace Akello Went on to become the Ugandan ambassador to Italy, based in Rome and recently became the Ugandan ambassador in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, India, supplying ambassadorial support across the whole Indian subcontinent.

Literature

In 1992, her poem "Encounter" from her collection ''My Barren Song'' was included in

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's then youngest publisher as well as the first black female book p ...

's ''

Daughters of Africa ''Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient Egyptian to the Present'' is a compilation of orature and literature by more than 200 women from Africa and the African diaspora ...

'', a selection of works from women authors in Africa.

Works

* ''Iteso Thought Patterns in Tales'', 1975 * ''My Barren Song''. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Eastern African Publications, 1979 * ''Self Twice-Removed: Ugandan Woman'', London: Change International Reports, 1982

Personal life

Grace Akello married her husband, Hugh Mason, in 1983. They have four sons and have a family home in Uganda close to Kampala.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akello, Grace 1950 births Living people 20th-century essayists 20th-century Ugandan poets 20th-century Ugandan politicians 20th-century Ugandan women politicians 20th-century Ugandan women writers 21st-century essayists 21st-century Ugandan poets 21st-century Ugandan politicians 21st-century Ugandan women politicians 21st-century Ugandan women writers Ambassadors of Uganda to Italy High commissioners of Uganda to India Folklorists Government ministers of Uganda Makerere University alumni Members of the Parliament of Uganda People from Soroti District Ugandan women ambassadors Ugandan women essayists Ugandan women poets Women folklorists Women government ministers of Uganda Women members of the Parliament of Uganda