Deborah Asiimwe GKashugi

Asiimwe Deborah GKashugi is a Ugandan playwright, performer, and producer, currently working as Specialist for Sundance Institute East Africa and a mentor with the Hamburg, Germany-based Do School, Her recent plays include Forgotten World, Cooking Oil, Appointment with gOD and Un-entitled, which have all been received either as productions or stage readings in the United States of America and East Africa. Her play Will Smith Look Alike won the 2010 BBC African Performance Play Writing Competition. She is a 2006 recipient of a scholarship of merit in Writing for Performance from California Institute of the Arts, where she graduated with a Master in Fine Arts (MFA) degree in 2009, and of the 2010 Theatre Communications Group (TCG) New Generation Future Leaders grant to work with the Sundance Institute Theatre Program.

Early life and education Deborah went to Kashwa Primary School, in present-day Kiruhura District. She attended Bweranyangi Girls School for her secondary education, before joining Makerere University, where she did a diploma in Music, Dance and Drama. She returned to Makerere University and received a Bachelor of Arts in Drama (Honors), 2003–2006.

Writing Deborah's interest in storytelling and performance started in her childhood. She was raised in an oral literature and storytelling culture, with her parents reciting Ebyevugo poetry to her poetry as she was growing up. The majority of her work explores socio-political issues that affect developing countries.