Kisuule Timothy Wasswa recently got a Master of Arts in Communication and Media degree from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom (UK). Kefa Senoga had a chat with him to get insights into his study experience in the UK and now writes.
Upon attaining my Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Uganda Christian University (UCU) in October 2021, I began searching for opportunities to study abroad. I applied to the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom (UK) in mid-June 2022. The acceptance email from the university came two weeks later. I was very excited to get the opportunity to study at the same university to which such distinguished individuals as Professor Susan Kiguli, Professor Ngugi wa Thiongo andWole Soyinka had been. Leeds was also where one of my favourite lecturers during my undergrad days at UCU, Stephen Ssenkaaba, had done his Masters degree. Sir Keir Starmer, who could become the UK’s Prime Minister this year, also studied at Leeds.
. I was also thrilled to be going to the UK for the first time. Even though I had travelled abroad before (to Baltimore in the United States in 2009, to Durban, South Africa in 2012, to Seychelles in 2018 and to Cape Town, South Africa in 2019), there is an unmatched magic to being in the land of Harry Potter and King Arthur My excitement briefly turned to anxiety however- this was going to be my first time travelling all by myself and also the first time that I would be away from my family and friends for such a long time.
These feelings of gloom were thankfully quickly dispelled by the encouragement I received from my parents. On September 16, 2022, I embarked on the journey to Leeds. I departed Uganda via a Brussels Airlines flight from Entebbe Airport to Belgium. From Brussels, I got a connecting flight to Manchester Airport. From Manchester airport, I boarded a bus that the university had provided for the day’s arriving international students. The trip took about an hour, and on the bus, we were given SIM cards.That’s how I was able to let the people back home know that I had arrived safely.
I had already booked a room online at Grayson Heights, a student accommodation recommended by the University of Leeds while still in Uganda. So, when I arrived at the university campus on the afternoon on September 17, I took a taxi to Grayson Heights, which was about 20 minutes away.
I was sleeping on the ninth floor of Grayson Heightswhich meant that I had a fantastic panoramic view of some of the city from my window. Even though my room was basic, with a bed, chair, wardrobe, and small desk- I grew to love it and I do have very fond memories of that space- the way that gentle orange first light of day would illuminate the room, for example.
I shared my flat with four incredible guys: a British undergraduate student at Leeds Beckett University, an Indian PhD candidate at the University of Leeds, an Indian master’s student at Leeds Beckett University and a Kenyan at the University of Leeds.
While I didn’t have classes for the first two weeks; the university had organized some induction and social sessions for new students so I attended those. After the two weeks, I attended my first lecture which was on media and communication theory.The course content for this, and indeed all my other modules, was intellectually stimulating so I enjoyed the classes very much. Particularly enriching for me were the assigned readings on the work of Stuart Hall, Sonia Livingstone, Leslie Meier, Thomas Kuhn and Nancy Fraser- to mention but a few. My lecturers were of course very good, and I am grateful to them.
When I wasn’t attending lectures, seminars or writing coursework essays, I liked to go to the university’s wonderful libraries. Of the three, the Laidlaw Library is especially close to my heart. It was there that I discovered Professor D. A. Low’s majestic Buganda in Modern History, Michael Wright’s haunting Buganda in the Heroic Age and a gripping translation of Rev. Batolomayo Zimbe’s Buganda ne Kabaka. Many a blissful evening were spent devouring these gems. . It was at this selfsame Laidlaw Library that I also discovered such simple pleasures as eating butter brioche buns with strawberry milk- the gastronomic glory I purchased from time to time at the Tesco supermarket just across the street from the library. Tesco’s almond croissants were also a most beautiful revelation.
Brioche and croissants were of course unsustainable as staples. So on most days, I contented myself with the humble cornflake and digestive for breakfast.And all the better, as I needed to stay fit for my morning dash for the bus stop so I could catch the soonest possible Number 56 bus and not have to wait at the stop. I hated having to wait, but I am strangely a little nostalgic for it now.
As students, we would purchase a monthly bus pass, which cost about 50 pounds. With that, we would travel as much as we wanted throughout the city. I liked to arrive on campus at least two hours before and would wait for lectures from the School’s common room. Being a student at Leeds also gave me the privilege of meeting some of the smartest people from all over the world.
My closest friends in Leeds were an American whose knowledge on, and passion for the British royal family was contagious, an Indian with whom I enjoyed having debates on politics and who knew the history of the Subcontinent like the back of his hand, and an Irishman with whom I shared an interest in military history and who could tell you the finer details of the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
The four of us, along with a few other friends, used to meet regularly in the School of Media and Communication’s common room and at cafés on campus and around the city, exchanging perspectives and learning from one other. When on a cold winter afternoon in December 2022 we met to share a Christmas meal, someone observed that among us, gathered there in that cosy living room whose warmth was due as much to the heating as it was to the warmth of our friendship, there was a person from every continent present- except Antarctica and Australia. It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. These wonderful people gave me some of my most cherished memories of Leeds. Even now, whenever I remember the time we spent together, that hauntingly lovely old Scots tune Auld Lang Syne fittingly comes to mind.
I also came to think of the city Leeds itself as a friend, and I loved it, and love it still. I count myself lucky to have been able to study at a university campus in a city like Leeds. What, you ask, did I love and do I miss the most about it? Well; its perennially grey skies and similarly hued pavements.
The Scotland Forever! painting by Lady Butler at the Leeds Art Gallery which I went to look at whenever I could. The Roger Stevens building. The Agincourt and Waterloo models at the Royal Armouries museum. Fresh red apples at Kirkgate Market. Long walks through Headingley. The bus stops by the Parkinson Building. Bus rides from Bramley to the City Centre. The Headrow. The red brick walls of the Cloth Workers North building. The green buses. I loved it all. I hope that I can visit again soon, then I‘ll say to Leeds itself – for auld lang syne my dear, for auld lang syne.
There were of course some unhappy episodes during my time in Leeds. For instance, in spite of my concerted efforts, I could not find employment in Leeds until August 2023, when I had completed my master’s program classes and was completing the dissertation. I had applied to a few places without success. My first job was at a logistics company, where I worked in a warehouse. It was located in a town called Selby , which was about 30 minutes from Leeds by train. However, I often took the longer journey by bus, to save money
I used to work an eight-hour shift, from 11p.m. to 8 a.m., organizing goods for delivery. It wasn’t a pleasant job, but at least it paid above minimum wage. However, the job was not a daily one since UK student visa rules do not permit students to work more than 20 hours a week during term time.
During the day, I would take a nap, work on my dissertation, and search for better opportunities. I would have preferred to stay in the UK, if I had been hired for a more formal job, but sadly, none of my applications was successful.
I left Leeds on December 2, 2023, nine days before the graduation. I was unable to attend the graduation on December 11 because the cheapest available air ticket to Uganda was for December 2. I got a merit degree, which was the second highest possible degree classification attainable..I intend to return to the UK to pursue a PhD next year.
I am applying for the Wheeler History of Travel Writing Programme PhD scholarship at the University of Warwick. I specifically want to study Hamu Mukasa’s 1904 book Uganda’s Katikiro in England which describes his journey, alongside Apollo Kaggwa,to the United Kingdom for Edward VII’s coronation in 1902. Besides its historic import, that journey is also of personal significance to me- I believe that among other things, it influenced Hamu Mukasa’s positive attitude towards Western-style education.
I would argue that it was to some extent this attitude that led him to donate land for the building of Bishop Tucker Theological College (BTTC) in the early twentieth century. BTTC eventually became the Uganda Christian University that gave me my superb undergraduate education.
Kisuule Wasswa Timothy went to Kampala Junior Academy for his primary education, after which he joined King’s College Budo for his secondary education. He attended Uganda Christian University, School of Journalism, Media and Communication where he graduated with a first class.
