Dr. Danson Sylvester Kahyana (1976) is a Ugandan poet, scholar and author of children’s literature, as well as a board member of PEN International and outgoing President of PEN Uganda. Kahyana is currently an AR-Resident in Helsinki, after fleeing to Finland after being brutally attacked in April 2022.
Dr. Danson Sylvester Kahyana
Kahyana holds a PhD in English Studies from Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Literature, Makerere University, Uganda, where he teaches courses on Creative writing, African Orature, and East African literary studies.
Kahyana is an accomplished writer and curator of numerous anthologies covering a range of issues, from governance to human rights. His most recent works include the anthology I Promise This Song Is Not About Politics (2022), the collection A Word or Two Before We Part: Poetry from Immaculate Heart Girls’ School (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).
Kahyana’s critical writings have appeared in various distinguished journals and publications, such as English in Africa, Journal of African Cultural Studies, Social Dynamics, and Matatu.
Furthermore, Kahyana is the recipient of several fellowships, including the African Peacebuilding Network (APN) Individual Research Fellowship (IRF) Award (2022), the Fulbright Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award (2020), the Andrew W. Mellon Early Career Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (2018), and the African Humanities Programme Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (2015), among others.
Dr. Danson Sylvester Kahyana is an Artists at Risk (AR) Resident at AR-Safe Haven Helsinki. The programme is co-funded by TAIKE, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, and curated by Perpetuum Mobile (PM) The AR-Network is coordinated by the AR-Secretariat, co-funded by SAC — Artistic Freedom Programme and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Finland, Center for Peace mediation.
External links:
- PEN International deeply concerned about the brutal attack of board member Danson Kahyana: https://pen-international.org/news/pen-international-deeply-concerned-about-the-brutal-attack-of-board-member-danson-kahyana
- Dr Danson Sylvester Kahyana by Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Danson-Kahyana
