Michael Wawuyo Snr.

It’s as simple as this: you cannot talk of Ugandan film and television without mentioning Michael Wawuyo, Snr. in the very early, very important, parts of the conversation.

The man looms large, and that’s not just because he is tall enough to block a radio signal. For over 3 decades he’s been in the thick of the celluloid, bringing his imposing, authoritative gloom to roles in films like ‘The Last King of Scotland’, the HBO drama ‘Sometimes in April’, and the docu-drama ‘The John Akii-Bua Story: An African Tragedy’. Those are some of the ‘Hollywood’ productions. Needless to say, of course, Michael remains one of the busiest figures in ‘Ugawood’, recently gaining top billing in the NTV drama, ‘Power of Legacy’.

It is a career that can look lonesome and unrewarding at times, but on the shoulders of a titan like Michael a legacy is being built. And indeed the word legacy is not being used loosely here, for, arguably, one could say the greatest gift Michael has given to Ugandan film yet is his son, the actor Michael Wawuyo Jnr. It might not be as tall, but those in the know will testify that the apple mango didn’t fall far from the tree.

Writer: John Francis Neema Barenzi 

Photo credit: Emmanuel Owaraga