Philippa Namutebi Kabali-Kagwa was born in Uganda, and grew up between Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia. After graduating from Kenyatta University in 1987, she worked as a teacher in Nairobi, and then in Lesotho and Namibia. In 1993 she moved to Cape Town, with her family, and stayed.
Philippa thinks of herself first and foremost as a storyteller. She believes that stories come into our lives to heal us, reconnect us with our humanity, create community, remind us of who we are and invite us to dream of who we can be. She works with folk tales, personal stories and poetry.
In June 2014, together with two other storytellers, Philippa co-founded The Story Club Cape Town. She also performs story programmes at schools and conferences; works as a facilitator and life coach using story as a tool for reflection and learning.
Philippa is the author of Flame and Song – a memoir; she has published poetry in various anthologies and four children’s books. She is a founding member of the recently formed Balisa Nathi Storytelling Collective, who aims to develop a growing intergenerational team of storytellers.