Philip Luswata is one of East Africa’s most respected theatre minds. He is a performer, writer, director, and lecturer who has shaped Uganda and East Africa’s creative landscape through decades of work on stage, radio, TV, and film. As the founder of Theatre Factory and a lecturer in theatre and film at Makerere University, he has mentored a generation of artists and helped build bridges between art and society. A regular face at the Ubumuntu Arts Festival, Luswata returned to Kigali in 2025 to deliver powerful work that touched on mental health and the lived experiences of African creatives during the one-week festival which ended on July 20. In this candid conversation with The New Times, he opens up about his early steps into performance, his enduring connection to Rwanda, and how artists can stay grounded — and relevant — in a fast-evolving digital world. You’ve had a remarkable career in theatre and film as a performer, writer, director, and lecturer. What first drew you to the performing arts, and how has that journey evolved over time? My excitement for art stared with raw talent. Performance came naturally to me, but even then, I didn’t see it as a vocation when younger. However, my performance at HCS afforded me marks that landed me the Diploma in Music Dance and Drama at Makerere University. So, it was circumstance that landed me in the trade. I do wish, though, my landing in this trade was more deliberate than chance at the start. I however welcomed the opportunity with open arms at a time when it was ridiculed. I fell in love with what I was learning immediately I attended the first class and met the great late Prof Rose Mbowa. Her energy and excitement for the trade were contagious. I have never looked back since then. Do you recall your first visit to Rwanda? How did it impact you then, and how have your impressions changed with each return? My first visit to Rwanda must have been nearly two decades ago at the invitation of Mashirika again. I was excited to come over since I was joining an old classmate at MDD Hope Azeda whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, yet we had started out together at Impact International (Alex Mukulu). I guess I am very much a people person. I have always loved the commitment to art of the young people I met then, and I remain really excited at how excited people still are. ALSO READ: East Africa has a lot to learn from Rwanda, says Philip Luswata I am especially excited that the people who were young then and in art are old now and still in art in one way or the other. That is super encouraging. Rwanda for me was always fun, it still is. The night life today is shorter, but compact and it works for me at my age. I love the beauty too. Sometimes you want to take a picture on the streets and pretend you are in Sweden then a Moto passes at the back and spoils the picture. Hongera on that for sure. You’ve been a regular at Ubumuntu Arts Festival. What keeps bringing you back, and what do you think makes the festival uniquely valuable to African and global theatre? Ubumuntu is now an addiction. It became even more sometime back when I was so melancholy and had decided to step away from theatre. So, Hope called me and I told her I was sad about theatre and what I felt it could have done for me but hadn’t. So, I didn’t have a play to share. She wondered how I didn’t have a play yet I was sad. That was the play. A bulb lit and I wrote a play about my melancholy on art to share at the festival. It did well. Since then, I always look forward to coming and sharing a little of myself and may art with fellow artists every year. It is like a very important intersection for us doing theatre. It is the traffic lights where you go work, but must pass by to reflect on your journey with others who may be up or down like you This year, you took part in the Mental Health Day and staged The Invoice. What themes were you exploring, and why is mental health such a vital subject for artists today? As an artist, I heavily believe that I exist in a space that is extraordinary. That is already mental. You can’t think like the average person and think you will make it as an artist. You have to be extra normal. Now, many of us are naturally extra – normal and raw with our abilities. Many of us suffer with these creative ideas in our heads that we do not have where to deposit. We know we can achieve a lot but are not enabled, are not challenged by the world around us. ALSO READ: Ubumuntu’s Unconference—where culture meets diplomacy, healing and human connection We are instead exploited by those with the money to do the art they want and we fail to do the art we need to do and the art that our people will understand. That already is a very mental presentation. We create art to heal people, but who heals us when even circumstances for self-healing are hardly availed the artist? Having worked across theatre, TV, radio, and film, what do you see as the biggest challenge facing African creatives today, especially regarding sustainable careers? Lack of perseverance and conflicting interests. These mean that artists are looking left, right and centre and not concentrating on any ideas. We are losing our live audience because we stopped thinking for them. Instead, we think for us, making art that satisfies us infront of ring lights in the incarceration of our bedrooms. We need to get back to thinking communal. Think about the people outside that you can touch and touch them with your art as opposed to thinking of those you can’t see and waiting for their applause in the comments section. We must look forward to live applause again. This is where sustainability is. Revenue remains a challenge for most creatives. What practical ways can writers and performers monetize their craft beyond traditional platforms? Are we relevant with our content as writers? My idea above still holds. We need to be relevant to our communities. Good art does not chase money. Money chases good art. That is how we grew up, and I believe that is the truth. Make good art, it will be bought whether you like it or not. Good art demands observation, research, perseverance and patience. These ingredients are in short supply today With the rise of digital media and shrinking attention spans, how can live theatre remain relevant and engaging for younger audiences? Digital media has not shrunk attention span. Children have a short attention span. Do we want to say that grown up consumers of art have become children because of digital media? We simply need to create art that offers the energy and spectacle enough to keep the people who know us engaged. People go to clubs and stay grounded for hours. Why do we fail to hold audiences for two hours? We have to meet them half way to hold their attention. What do clubs do that we don’t? ALSO READ: Ubumuntu Arts Festival marks 10 years of impact, humanity What role can institutions like Makerere where you teach and festivals like Ubumuntu play in nurturing the next generation of storytellers in this changing landscape? We must know that we don’t know. We must know that dealing with art and artists is an endless pursuit of discovery. It is eternal research with one answer raising the next question. No answer will ever be it, so this process of discovery, self-discover and questioning must continue to be supported. Betrayal will come at the point institutions assume they know. They never can know, but can only be a step ahead. You’ve mentored many artists at the intersection of art, activism, and livelihood. What advice would you give young creatives trying to balance these elements? There is no end to the struggle that is art and there is never satisfaction. Only God calls us to satisfaction. You are only as good as your last product as they say, so, you can never stop pushing yourself. When you get a name in the process, that is not a reward, it is an occupational hazard. Take it as such. It has come to interfere with your life but should never get to your head. That affects your hunt for more. Looking back on your journey and the growth of African theatre, what gives you hope — and what changes would you still like to see in the creative ecosystem? Governments should own and be more accountable to the creative ecosystem more. There are those who fear it, but I see it as a right of the citizens for government to give a damn about what people are saying, how they are saying it and what facilitation they need to say it loudest.
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