When Doreen Mirembe talks about her life, she does it with the ease of someone who has lived several careers in one. She is now a producer, screenwriter, director and actress. But before all of that, she was a dental nurse.
On Pearl Magic Prime, she has carved out a place in history as the first woman to serve as both lead actress and producer. Her drama series Damalie is broadcast across East Africa, but her path to the screen was anything but straightforward.
“Drama has always been part of me,” she said in an interview on Pearl Magic Prime’s Home of Our Stars with host Judithiana Namazzi. “I believe I was born to do this. I don’t see myself doing anything else in the world. This is what I have always loved to do.”
From dentistry to storytelling
Mirembe grew up outside Kampala, Uganda’s capital, where her parents pushed her toward more traditional professions — medicine, law or teaching. She trained as a dental nurse. But her love for storytelling didn’t fade.
When she moved to Kampala for studies, she worked two part-time jobs. One was at a video library along Bombo Road. That job, she said, changed her life.
“At that library, I was introduced to films because I had to watch them in order to sell them,” she recalled. “I realised that I loved it and I was doing it with passion. I would watch like 10 movies a day.”
Her new obsession led her to the National Theatre, where she joined film clubs without telling her family.
Sneaking away for shoots
Her persistence eventually landed her a role on Deception, a popular Ugandan drama series. Balancing her dental work and acting, though, was a constant struggle.
“Whenever I had scenes to shoot, I would sneak out from work to go on set,” she said with a laugh. “I would literally do my makeup on a boda boda,” she added, referring to Uganda’s ubiquitous motorcycle taxis.
The crew worked around her schedule, often filming her scenes quickly so she could get back before her boss noticed. Her colleagues at the clinic covered for her.
“Thankfully, I had a strong support system,” she said. “They would stand in for me so the bosses don’t get to know that I wasn’t around.”
Film wasn’t paying well at the time, she added. “You had to invest in yourself while getting almost nothing in return,” she said. But she stayed because it was what she loved.
Building Damalie
In Damalie, Mirembe is not only the star but also the producer and one of the writers. The role, she admits, mirrors her own journey.
“Both Damalie and Doreen are go-getters,” she said. “They don’t want to be broke. They want the best things for their families. They love their children and want the perfect family.”
Her writing process draws from real life. “I try to refer to myself and the things I have experienced,” she said. “I don’t want to write things I have not seen. I try to relate to what is happening and what I have seen. I think that is why the story is so relatable.”
Mirembe once hoped to create a medical drama, drawing from her years working in hospitals. “I have lived my life around hospitals since I was a child. I have seen how doctors behave, I have worked in a hospital and I understand the environment. There is a lot of untapped drama there,” she said.
But the costs of medical consultants and training actors proved difficult. Instead, she blended the concept into a family drama with ties to the medical field.
Damalie airs Monday to Friday at 8:30 p.m. on Pearl Magic Prime (DStv Channel 148 and GOtv Channel 303), and is also available via DStv Stream and GOtv Stream apps.
Working with her idol
The series also stars veteran Ugandan actor Philip Luswata. For Mirembe, sharing the screen with him is personal.
She remembers watching him as the first Ugandan to appear in an M-Net drama. “It is an achievement working with a person I have always looked up to as a girl,” she said. “On set, he always comes on time, knows his lines, and adds his expertise where necessary.”
Luswata also helped guide her early writing. “When I approached him with my first script, he welcomed me warmly,” she said. “He was always willing and available to guide me.”
Advice for the next generation
For young actors trying to make it in Uganda’s growing film industry, her message is blunt. “Wake up. We sleep so much in Uganda,” she said. Success, she insists, takes sacrifice and relentless work.
