Lydia Mugambi is a Ugandan visual artist, theatre actress, a former lecturer, and a former school teacher. She was born in 1937 to Mr Asanansio Ssempala Lubwama and Solome Nakimera Lubwama of Namirembe.
Mugambi attended Gayaza High School in the 1950s and after completing the studies there she joined Makerere University's Margaret Trowell school of art. After two years at the maiden school of art in East Africa, Mugambi transitioned to the school of education at the same university to study a bachelor's degree in education in the 1960s. After completing her first degree, Mugambi started teaching fine art at Makerere University college school between 1965 and 1970. Mugambi attended Rochester Institute of Technology courtesy of a scholarship got from US-based NGO. [1]
Upon returning from the United States, Mugambi started lecturing art at Makerere University's college of education but would also continue going to the school of art where she mentored other artists like Bruno Sserunkuuma, Lilian Mary Nabulime, Sarah Nakinsaze and others. As a practicing artist herself, Mugambi creates paintings, drawings and sculptures. Her work has featured is several art exhibitions such as, Artistically Speaking Women at Art Gallery Cafe (1995), The Nudes Exhibition (2000), the 5th International Artistically Speaking Women at Nommo Gallery (2001) and solo exhibition focusing on her work at Xenson Art Place in 2024. [2] Besides being in the art spaces, Mugambi is also a theatre actress and used to stage shows at Uganda's National Theatre in the capital Kampala. [3]
Mugambi is married to Prof. Paul Edward Mugambi and they have been married for 61 years producing 2 girls and 3 boys. [4]
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