Taban Lo Liyong
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Taban Lo Liyong (born 1939) is a poet, academic and writer of
fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...
and
literary criticism A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature's ...
from
South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...
. He was born in Kajo Kaji,
Acholiland The Acholi people ( , also spelled Acoli) are a Nilotic ethnic group of Luo peoples (also spelled Lwo), found in Magwi County in South Sudan and Northern Uganda (an area commonly referred to as Acholiland), including the districts of Agago, Amu ...
, in the
Equatoria Equatoria is the southernmost region of South Sudan, along the upper reaches of the White Nile and the border between South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Juba, the national capital is the largest city in South S ...
region of southern Sudan but taken to Uganda at an early age. His political views, as well as his outspoken disapproval of the
post-colonial Postcolonialism (also post-colonial theory) is the critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic consequences of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and thei ...
system of education in
East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
, have inspired both further criticism as well as controversy since the late 1960s.


Biography

He was born in
Acholiland The Acholi people ( , also spelled Acoli) are a Nilotic ethnic group of Luo peoples (also spelled Lwo), found in Magwi County in South Sudan and Northern Uganda (an area commonly referred to as Acholiland), including the districts of Agago, Amu ...
, then a region of southern Sudan under
British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...
. After graduation from secondary school in Uganda, he attended the
National Teachers College The National Teachers College is a private, non-sectarian, educational institution based in the Philippines, with its campuses are located in Quiapo, Manila and Mendiola. The college offers preschool, basic, and higher education. History The ...
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 ...
, Uganda's capital, before continuing his undergraduate studies at
Knoxville College Knoxville College is an unaccredited private historically black college in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1875 by the United Presbyterian Church of North America. The college is a United Negro College Fund member sch ...
in Tennessee, and postgraduate studies at
Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...
. At the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
Writer's Workshop, he was the first African graduate in 1968. On the completion of his studies in the US, the tyrannical regime of
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, ...
prevented him from returning to
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 ...
. Instead, he went to neighbouring
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 taught at the
University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...
. Furthermore, he has also taught at universities in
Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
,
South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...
,
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, and
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. In collaboration with Henry Owuor-Anyumba and Kenyan writer
Ngugi wa Thiong'o Ngugi or Ngũgĩ is a name of Kikuyu origin that may refer to: * Ngugi wa Mirii (1951–2008), Kenyan playwright *Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (; born James Ngugi; 5January 193828May 2025) was a Kenyan author and academic, who has ...
, he wrote ''On the Abolition of the English Department'' in 1972. Based on this article, which inspired postcolonial students of English in Africa to question the practices of their discipline, Liyong, Owuor-Anyumba and wa Thiong'o were criticized for advocating cultural or even racial purity within academia. Their stated goal was to re-establish traditional East African ways of knowledge and understanding in literature, in an effort towards authenticity and as a means for the region to better understand itself in the context of national independence. By placing African culture at the centre of education, "all other things
ould Ould is an English surname as well as an element of many Arabic names. In Arabic contexts it is a transliteration of the word wikt:ولد, ولد, meaning "son". Notable people with this surname include: English surname * Edward Ould (1852–190 ...
be considered in their relevance to he Africansituation, and their contribution towards understanding tself. This philosophy was also politically significant at a time when East African governing bodies were struggling against the influence of
post-colonial Postcolonialism (also post-colonial theory) is the critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic consequences of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and thei ...
powers, such as the US and Great Britain. At the same time Liyong has described eastern Africa as a "literary wasteland". In February 2020, Lo Liyong was suspended from his teaching assignment by the
University of Juba The University of Juba () is an English-language public university located in Juba, South Sudan. It was founded in 1975 by the former Vice president of and President of Southern Sudan, Abel Alier Kwai. The university was temporarily relocated t ...
, because he had written critical comments on South Sudan's government in a local South Sudanese newspaper. In a letter to Professor John A. Akec, Vice Chancellor of the University of Juba, 28 US-based academics, including a number of South Sudanese alumni of the University of Juba, expressed their opposition to the suspension. According to the ''
Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...
'', "Liyong wrote highly imaginative short narratives, such as ''Fixions'' (1969), and unorthodox
free verse Free verse is an open form of poetry which does not use a prescribed or regular meter or rhyme and tends to follow the rhythm of natural or irregular speech. Free verse encompasses a large range of poetic form, and the distinction between free ...
(...), his nonfiction output consists of argumentative and amusing personal essays and bold literary criticism (...), presenting challenging new ideas in an original manner." Liyong has published over twenty books, including ''Carrying Knowledge Up a Palm Tree'' (1998), an anthology of poetry that addresses various contemporary issues and follows African progress in recent history. The
East African Literature Bureau The Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB) is a publishing house and state corporation in Kenya founded in 1947. It is located in South-C off Popo Road in Nairobi. History The Kenya Literature Bureau was initially established by the "East Africa governme ...
(EALB) published many of Liyong's earlier works in English, as well as in translation into East African languages. In his introduction to ''Literary Sudans'': ''An Anthology of Literature from Sudan and South Sudan,'' he wrote: Shringarpure, Bhakti et al. (2016), ''Literary Sudans: An Anthology of Literature from Sudan and South Sudan.'' Trenton: The Red Sea Press, pp. 4–6.


Bibliography


Poetry collections

* ''Frantz Fanon's Uneven Ribs'' (1971) * ''Another Nigger Dead'' (1972) * ''Ballads of Underdevelopment'' (1976) * ''The Cows of Shambat'' (1992) * ''Words that Melt a Mountain'' (1996) * ''Carrying Knowledge Up a Palm Tree'' (1997) * ''Corpse Lovers and Corpse Haters'' (2005) * ''After Troy'' (2021)


Short story collections

* ''Fixions'' (1969)


Non-fiction

* ''Meditations in Limbo'' (1970) * ''The Uniformed Man: Essays'' (1971) * ''Thirteen Offensives Against Our Enemies'' (1973) * ''The Universal Variety of Negritude'' (1976) * ''Meditations of Taban lo Liyong'' (1978) * ''Christmas in Lodwar'' (1979; first published in 2009) * ''Another Last Word'' (1990) * ''Culture is Rutan'' (1991) * ''Homage to Onyame'' (1997)


Plays

* ''Showhat and Sowhat'' (2007)


Literary criticism

* ''The Last Word: Cultural Synthesism'' (1969)


References


Further reading

* ''Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism'' (Leitch).
''African Timelines V:Post Independence Africa & Contemporary Trends''




* Sam Raditlhalo

1997.