Mitch Isabirye

Isabirye Godfrey Mitch Jr. is a writer, poet, spoken word artist, and an environmentalist based in Uganda who is currently working with Kitara Nation, a Uganda based poetry organisation.

Mitch commenced his craft passionately in late 2017 and professionally in early 2018. His first poetry performance was at a poetry platform dubbed Tontoma supported by 32 degrees Arts Trust, from where he moved to perform at different poetry platforms and stages in and out of Kampala and these include(d); Kelele @ Makerere, Kwebuga at Kyambogo, Entebbe Poetry Club, Kwivuga, Ntebeza, Rhythms and Words, Rock bar Poetry Nights, Grand Azania at Uganda Christian University (UCU), Zonzora at MUBS, Jinja Poetry Night, Mbale Poetry Night, Evoke
Nights, Fun Factory, Akatuuti, Vumbula and the Bayimba Cultural festival.

In 2018, Isabirye worked with Open Mic Uganda, an entity that used to host monthly poetry slams and later that year he won his first poetry slam. Given his academic background, he was availed with an opportunity to perform at the Earth Hour celebrations in Uganda where he
became an ambassador and he continues to perform with them every time the Earth hour annual celebrations are hosted.

Isabirye uses poetry as a tool for social change and environmental justice. He has had one of his poems; The dancing rock published in the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) Newsletter for the World Environment Day Celebrations for the year 2018. In 2018, he was chosen among the few poets to perform at the commemoration ceremony of the late Winnie Madikize la Mandela, an event that was organized by the Pan African Women association.

In mid-2018, Mitch embarked on a journey of diversifying his craft. He graduated from writing and performing solely in English to including two local dialects; Luganda and Lusoga respectively.

In August, 2018 he joined a poetry group called Kitara Nation which later introduced him to theater poetry. He was humbled to be part of the cast for the production titled “Arrest the Poem,” a theatric poetry performance that later that year was chosen to represent Uganda at the Kampala International Theater Festival (KITF) at the Uganda Museum.

In the same year, He collaborated with Open Mic Uganda on a project supported by Public Health Uganda where he later became an ambassador and has continued to performing at their different symposiums held in Uganda to address issues affecting youth in the country.
In 2019, he decided to take a break from theater poetry and concentrate on performing a few shows. In March, 2019 Mitch had his first one man-show dubbed “Nzhe,” a Lusoga phrase that translates into “me” where he was supported by a local Afro-soul artist called Andereya Baguma.

This was organised by a Christian poetry platform called Ekigambo. In the same year, he kept on working under Kitara Nation; travelling to different schools and communities for poetry tours and poetry club visits.