Many former students of the late Prof. David Rubadiri say his works will continue to inspire many in poetry. This was during a memorial symposium to remember the contribution of Prof. Rubadiri to Literature in Makerere University.

Associate Prof. Susan Kiguli from the Department of Literature said that Prof. Rubadiri was a loud and passionate poet, who will forever inspire many.

“Prof. Rubadiri captured the ordinary with his simple language. He portrayed humanity in his poems,” said Kiguli.

Kiguli who is a former student of Rubadiri, told participants at the symposium that his poetry articulated affirmative traits of African culture, with the names of his children having deep African meanings.

Prof. Ernest Okello-Ogwang, the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs, also a Literature lecturer hailed the late Rubadiri for marketing Malawi globally.

“Through his works of poetry, he was known globally and this is why the President of Malawi referred to him as his icon,” Okello-Ogwang said.

The same sentiments were shared by the current head of Literature Department at Makerere University, Dr. Okot Benge and the Principal of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Edward Kirumira. Some of the most popular poems Rubadiri wrote include; The African Thunderstone, No Bride Price, Growing with Poverty, among others.

During the symposium, students from the Department of Film and Drama performed one of his most popular poems, Stanley meets Muteesa.

Prof. David Rubadiri was a Malawian born in July 1930. He is ranked as one of Africa’s most widely anthologized and celebrated poets, who served Makerere University at length. He died on September 13, 2018.