CHL Tulsa Oilers

Kiyaga Leads Way As CHL Renaissance Man

Published on January 14, 2008 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Tulsa Oilers News Release


Defenseman Arthur Kiyaga of the Tulsa Oilers has a couple of interesting distinctions in the Central Hockey League.

As the only Ugandan born player in the CHL, Kiyaga is also the only published author playing in the league. He has used his unusual background to publish a collection of his thoughts and poems in a book called /Kiyaga-ism Poetry with a Lil' Twist/ (www.lulu.com ).

But the book isn't meant to be a money maker for the 22-year old defenseman.

"I started writing down some of my thoughts on bus trips to sort of pass the time. I did some of them as poems and had some teachers and other people say they were pretty good and wondered what I was going to do with them," Kiyaga said. "I had one of my professors say they were good and should look at getting them out."

The book is a collection of thoughts which include a dream of taking the Stanley Cup to Uganda, and makes comparisons between Shakespeare and rappers such as 2pac. Kiyaga draws on his experience of being born in Uganda, and playing a sport like ice hockey, and he wanted to lessen the chasm between the two.

"When I saw some of the Detroit Red Wings take the Stanley Cup to Russia and that had never been done before I got to thinking why not take it to Uganda," Kiyaga, who moved to Toronto as a youngster, said. His father is a college professor in Toronto.

"So being born in Africa and now spending my life in the hockey world, this is my way to sort of bring those two parts of my life and parts of the world together. They may seem different but this is my way of trying to show there are some things the same," Kiyaga said.

He has plans to publish at least two other books of poems and hopes to develop his own line of clothing accessories. In just his second year of professional hockey, the speedy Kiyaga hopes to advance his athletic career as well.

After all, he has to get the Stanley Cup to Uganda.

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Central Hockey League Stories from January 14, 2008


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