Written by: Admin_SheEvo
If you had told me a decade ago that I’d become a voice of creative influence in Uganda—while raising two sons, surviving the chaos of post production, and working on studying human rights law in Japan—I probably would’ve laughed, spilled tea on your shoes, and gone back to sketching dramatic storyboards with an empty stomach and a full heart.
My name is Nicole Priscilla Lawino, though some know me as Lawino, The Goddess, or “that girl who’s always filming something deep.” I wear many hats—filmmaker, musician, fashion designer, mental health advocate, and social worker—but what ties it all together is a deep, almost spiritual commitment to telling African stories with emotional truth and intellectual bite.
My journey began in the slums of Namuwongo, not with a camera, but with a clipboard and a heart full of social work theories. I saw the world in raw form—mothers fighting addiction, children raised by trauma, and entire communities surviving on resilience. That front line exposure to human suffering sparked my need to create The Glass Cage, a film that juxtaposes a child’s crib with prison bars to show how cycles of abuse are born in silence and confinement. I didn’t set out to make art. I set out to scream—beautifully.
Later, in Hebrews 13:5, I aimed my lens at the grotesque hypocrisy of fake pastors—somewhere between satire and spiritual exorcism. The film wasn’t just a clap back at corrupted faith; it was my way of healing from the mental strain I experienced while working under immense pressure, juggling survival, sanity, and expectations. That’s when I knew I had to speak up about mental health too—not as a trending hashtag but as lived reality. For creatives, especially women, especially mothers, especially me—the mind is our medium. And it’s fragile.
Now, through my production company, Haus of Alkebulan, I’m creating space for bold, intellectual African cinema that blends culture, history, and healing. My upcoming projects explore Luo migration from Nubia, colonial reclamation, and even fast fashion’s impact on African land-fills. I want our people to see themselves in high-definition—sacred, scarred, stylish. I don’t have a blueprint, only a burning purpose. Every grant I apply for, every song I record, every eco-fashion piece I design, is stitched with the same thread: art must serve.
Some days I feel like a hot mess with vision. Other days, I see the seeds I’ve planted growing into something generational. Becoming a voice of influence wasn’t the plan. Becoming a vessel for untold truths—that’s always been the calling.
And if I can do it while raising future kings, crying over rough edits, and dreaming of a glass house on the Nile? You can too. Just bring your broken pieces. We’ll make art.
Written by: Nicole Priscilla Lawino
My social media handle is “The Goddess Lawino” on Tiktok, Spotify, X/ twitter, Vimeo and Instagram
