Arthur Kiyaga: “I am lucky!”

RICHMOND, Va. – Fairly or unfairly, the novelty of being the only Ugandan native to play professional ice hockey may garner Richmond Renegade Arthur Kiyaga an inordinate amount of attention. Following two complete seasons in the UHL and CHL respectively, the 5’ 9″

170-lb. defenseman made his way to Richmond after being released from training camp in ECHL Wheeling. “Obviously getting released was disappointing. Some guys got sent down from the AHL and I got bumped out of there,” Kiyaga said. “But two players I knew from Tulsa had played in Richmond – Mat Goody and Dennis Sicard – and a couple of the coaches I played for knew Coach Goudie, so that’s how it came about.” Kiyaga has developed a reputation as a hard working, stay-at-home blue liner upon whom Goudie can depend, even on the penalty-kill. His plus/minus rating is near the top among the Renegades. Just a few minutes spent with the bright young man reveals wisdom beyond his 23 years, and talents that extend well past the blue line and the boards. Kiyaga is pursuing a degree in English and international relations as he extends his improbable career on ice. He gets that work ethic naturally. Kiyaga’s father, who had grown up very poor, undertook a one-suitcase move from Kampala, Uganda in the late 1980’s to establish himself as a political science professor at the University of Toronto. He brought his wife, four-year-old Arthur and two younger children across the Atlantic about a year later. “My dad is a very determined and motivated individual,” Kiyaga said. “A lot of times when I’d run into hardships, I could relate to what he had to go through, and realize that I didn’t have it that bad. If it hadn’tbeen for him working so hard to fund me, I could easily still be struggling to get by back in Africa – and I’m not saying that would be bad or good, but I don’t know what it could have been.” Having grown up in the melting pot of Toronto and traveling extensively while playing hockey, Kiyaga has experienced many things,  both practically and conceptually, that his native people find far out of reach. Many cannot conceive of the common conveniences in North America, not to mention the luxury of playing pro sports, the game of hockey, or even ice itself. “I am lucky,” Kiyaga said. “A lot of kids in Africa would do anything to have the problems that we have. Running water and stuff that we take for granted they don’t have. Not many professional athletes in the U.S. have Ugandan teammates, much less hockey players. Even as the only African-American currently in the SPHL, Kiyaga does not see the world along racial lines as many still do – a lesson learned from his father at a young age. “I remember one season I had an assistant coach who was black and I came home and told my dad how great that was,” he recalled. “He got mad at me and said ‘it doesn’t make a difference… why are you making such a big deal about that.’ From that I learned that people are just people, and you shouldn’t go out of your way to label them.” In a sport dominated by Caucasians, whatever racial insensitivities Kiyaga has experienced have been isolated. “Obviously we all may have preconceived notions about different sexes, age, race and that type of thing. I try really hard to erase that from my memory, and treat everyone like I’d like to be treated,” Kiyaga said. “If you constantly project yourself in that manner, it becomes habit and the world seems much less judgmental. So if I surround myself with those thoughts, when remarks that would steer me the wrong way come about, they don’t really push me over the edge.” Away from the rink, Kiyaga’s medium of choice for self-expression – poetry – further distinguishes him from most of his hockey peers. “Kiyaga-isms”, a collection of his unconventional works, went to press in 2006 and embodies many thoughts and ideologies of the interesting encounters of his life. It touches on issues that range from society and race to relationships and religion. “At first (teammates) laugh and say ‘Poetry? Are you kidding me? That’s so soft,’” Kiyaga says. “But then even a lot of them who aren’t big readers might pick up my book, read it and find that they can really relate to it.” His rhymes touch on many subjects that most everybody can identify with. “There’s some pretty heavy content in there, but I tried to put it in a way whereit embodied someone’s entire thoughts on things like religion, society and relationships,” Kiyaga said. “It may be graphic the way I’m saying it, but there’s a point to it. A couple of years ago when I first wrote it, I’d give it to my friends and they’d kind of skim through it but didn’t really see it like I did. Maybe with the style I use where everything rhymes they thought of it like Dr. Seuss or something.” Not everybody gets it, but that’s okay. Also close to his heart are the struggles of underprivileged people around the world, and he hopes to work with the United Nations in the future to help their cause. He especially loves children, enjoys helping with kids’ clubs back home and does a hockey camp in Toronto. “I absolutely love doing that sort of thing, and especially like when we skate with kids after the games. I’ve been given so much help to get where I am,” Kiyaga said. “I just love to give back. It’s beautiful when you can touch people without even necessarily trying to, but just by doing what you do in a truthful, respectable way. If they can see that I made it, regardless of whatever hardships I went through, that they could do it too.” For the resume of a 23-year-old to include a published book and three years in the pros speaks volumes about the effort that went into each. “There’s a parallel entwined among them – understanding what you do and working hard at it. I never thought I’d be playing professional hockey,” he admitted. “But I’ll keep working hard, run with it and go with whatever happens.” Contact the author at tom.brandt@prohockeynews.com Contact the photographer at lisa.murphywood@prohockeynews.com Arthur Kiyaga (pronounced kee-YAH-gah)