Actor and filmmaker Alex Mukulu has passed on at the age of 72.
Born in 1954 in Misebe, Ssingo County, Mukulu built a career spanning more than four decades, earning recognition as a pioneer of protest theater for productions that confronted political, social and cultural issues.
He studied film and drama at Makerere University after attending Kololo Secondary School.
His notable works included “Wounds of Africa,” “30 Years of Bananas,” “Excuse Me Mzungu” and “The Guest of Honour.” His productions often used satire and drama to examine governance, inequality, identity and the shifting nature of Ugandan society.
Mukulu also wrote “Journey to Self-Realization,” which was performed during the opening ceremony of the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala.
Other productions credited to him include Muzukulu wa Kabangala, I Killed the Archbishop, A Good Muganda Case and The People’s President.
In 2024, Mukulu returned to the stage after a lengthy absence with Kulunkalu ne Kulumbisi, an African adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The production was staged at the National Theatre in Kampala and examined themes of division and reconciliation.
The veteran Ugandan playwright Alex Mukulu studied at Aggrey Primary School, Namilyango Primary School, Kololo Secondary School for his O-level, Caltec Academy for his A-level, and Makerere University, where he earned his degree in Music, Dance, and Drama (MDD.
