Uganda Christian University (UCU) Vice Chancellor, Professor Aaron Mushengyezi, who previously served as an Associate Professor, has today delivered his Inaugural Professorial Lecture, marking a significant milestone in his academic career and his formal recognition as a full professor.
Held at 2:00 p.m. at Nkoyoyo Hall, UCU Main Campus, Mukono, the lecture brought together members of the university community, academics, students and other guests for an intellectual engagement on the changing ways young people in Uganda communicate, consume information and engage with culture.
Prof. Mushengyezi’s lecture, titled “The Historiography of Orature and Media Culture for Young People in Uganda,” explored the history and development of oral traditions and media culture, and how these have shaped communication and cultural expression among young people.
Orature refers to the use of spoken forms of communication, including storytelling, songs, proverbs, riddles and other oral traditions through which communities preserve knowledge, values and history. By examining orature alongside contemporary media culture, the lecture placed Uganda’s traditional ways of sharing knowledge in conversation with today’s rapidly changing media environment.
The topic is particularly relevant to young people, who are increasingly shaped by digital platforms, social media and other forms of mass communication. It offers an opportunity to consider how traditional forms of knowledge and cultural expression can continue to influence, interact with and find new life within modern media spaces.
An Inaugural Professorial Lecture is a significant academic milestone. It is a formal public address delivered by a scholar upon attaining full professorship, providing an opportunity to celebrate their academic journey, share their area of scholarship and reflect on the direction of their future research and contribution to knowledge.
For Prof. Mushengyezi, the lecture therefore represents both a celebration of his progression from Associate Professor to full Professor and an opportunity to share his scholarship with the wider UCU community.
The main lecture was preceded by panel discussions featuring senior UCU faculty members, who reflected on the role of academic traditions in higher education and the importance of scholarship in shaping knowledge and society.
The event underscores UCU’s commitment to fostering scholarship, intellectual dialogue and research that speaks to Uganda’s cultural, social and educational realities.