Elly E. Debuni
2025 has been one of those years that quietly changes you.
When the year began, Lira Kreativ Kave was still more of an idea than a structure — a small, intentional attempt to gather creatives in Lira City and see what could happen if people were simply given space. Space to speak. Space to listen. Space to try, fail, grow, and try again. We did not have funding. We did not have a permanent home. What we had was belief — that there were voices here that deserved to be heard.
And the voices came.
Over the course of the year, we discovered and engaged more than 40 creatives — poets, instrumentalists, storytellers, singers, and visual artists — and welcomed over 200 people to our free events. In a city where structured creative spaces are rare, Lira Kreativ Kave slowly became one of the few consistent communities for poets and spoken word artists. People showed up, some nervous, some unsure, many performing for the first time. By the end of the year, those same people were standing taller, writing better, performing louder.
The most rewarding part has been watching what happens when a community believes in itself.
Olobo Timothy Debuni walked into this space as a poet refining his voice. This year, he represented Uganda at the East Africa Poetic Hour Battle in Kisumu, Kenya, emerging third overall and topping the Ugandan team. Atim Patricia Prosper performed on stages we once only spoke about — Tales By the Fireside and Poetry and Cocktails by Utenzi House of Poets, Poetry and Strings by Ladu Poetry House — and crossed into film, completing professional training during the Regional Film Competitions 2025 organized by the Uganda Communications Commission and Proline Film Academy. She later earned a scholarship to study Professional Acting in Kampala. These milestones did not happen in isolation. They happened because a creative community existed.
The Lira Youth Poetry Slam became a defining moment for us. It brought together over 50 audience members, young poets, and respected literary voices. Having Professor Okaka Opio Dokotum in the room — an author whose work shaped generations — felt full circle. His words of encouragement, his public support for Lira Kreativ Kave, and his pledge to support future work through Oyeyeng Productions reminded us that this work matters. Honoring Okaka Emmanuel Dokotum through an art exhibition during the slam was a deeply personal and powerful moment for the community.
We were also joined by young authors who believed in the next generation. Aceng Delight Ruth shared her journey and gifted her books, Beyond The Silence and Ex-Convicts Attorney, to slam winners. Ajwer Norman Ocen, co-founder of Lira Kreativ Kave and author of Forceful Arrivals, shared stories rooted in memory, conflict, and survival, and placed his books in the hands of emerging poets. These gestures may seem small, but they create belief — and belief is everything.
On a personal level, 2025 stretched me in ways I did not anticipate. I found myself moving between poetry stages, film sets, festivals, and community spaces, learning in real time what it means to carry vision while still being a student of the craft. From performing at open mics, festivals, and film screenings, to standing on the Milégé World Music Festival stage under the Milégé Acoustic Project, to winning the Ladu Poetry House Get Loud Poetry Slam in Kampala, the year demanded growth. Producing You May Kiss The Bride Goodbye under the Opportunities Are Here Uganda program, premiering it before distinguished guests and later screening it publicly at the National Theatre, reminded me why storytelling matters. Hurdles of Hope continued its journey quietly through international festivals, waiting for its time to meet the wider public.
But last year was not easy. We worked with limited resources, relied on goodwill, and often had to choose persistence over comfort. There were moments of doubt, fatigue, and uncertainty. Still, people kept showing up. And that made the difference.
Lira Kreativ Kave ended 2025 as proof that community can exist before infrastructure, and impact can happen before funding. We are not finished. If anything, we are just beginning. The work ahead is to deepen engagement, expand disciplines, and build systems that can sustain the talent we now know exists.
Last year taught me that sometimes all a city needs is a room, a microphone, and the courage to listen.
Elly E. Debuni – Executive Producer, Lira Kreativ Kave.
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Elly E. Debuni is a spoken word poet, writer and filmmaker from Lira City, Northern Uganda. He uses his art to tackle societal issues focusing more on topics like identity, mental health and life.
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