Pio Zirimu facts for kids

Pio Zirimu (died 1977) was a Ugandan expert in language and literature. He was a scholar and a literary theorist. He is famous for creating the word "orature." This word describes spoken African stories and traditions. It was a new way to talk about these stories without calling them "oral literature," which seemed a bit confusing. Zirimu also played a big part in changing how literature was taught at Makerere University. He made sure students learned about African literature and culture instead of just English books.

Early Life and School

Pio Zirimu was born in Buganda, which is a kingdom in Uganda. He went to high school at King's College Budo. After that, he studied at Makerere University in Uganda. He also went to the University of Leeds in England. While he was at Makerere, he met a Ugandan poet and writer named Elvania Namukwaya Zirimu. They got married later and had a daughter.

Teaching and Ideas

Pio Zirimu taught at the Institute of Languages Studies at Makerere University. In the 1960s, he helped create ways to understand and judge new African literature. He was at an important meeting called the "African Writers Conference" in 1962. This was the first big meeting of African writers and critics in Africa. Many famous African writers were there, including Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o.

Zirimu's work helped people understand the richness of African storytelling. He showed that spoken traditions were just as important as written ones.