East African Academy and Zinduka Festival

Akiba Uhaki Foundation is organising the inaugural East African Academy and Zinduka Festival. The academy is a borne out of the desire by East Africans to explore the strategies for actively pursuing a people centered and social justice focused EAC regional integration agenda. The idea was informed by the realization that the regional integration agenda has so far been  largely dominated by business and political interests, leaving the common citizenry with limited or no room and incentive to articulate and pursue their aspirations as East Africans.

It is against this backdrop that the East African Academy is being created as an annual platform upon which a collaborative effort between numerous interested and optimistic East Africans can stimulate the active participation of their kith and kin in the integration process. Aspiring to become the venue for conversations, which will co-create, educate and celebrate East Africaness and Pan-Africanism, the Academy will aim to be a reference point for interrogating ideas around regional integration, Pan Africanism and best practice in respect of rights- with a particular emphasis on the active pursuit of second generational rights. The academy will be informed by brief presentations by six co-conveners, who are committed to the regional integration and Pan Africanism agenda, around key critical subject areas:

·         Kiswahili as a medium of communication in the region

·         Trends in respect of participation of women in the regional integration process taking due account of the gender equity and equity imperatives

·         Social movements in regional integration and Pan Africanism

·         The role of Constitutionalism in East Africa

·         Securing citizens and communities rights over the resource governance generally and the extractive industry in particular.

·         Business forum on the role of small businesses in tapping into opportunities created by EAC integration.

Subsequently, recommendations and way forward emanating from the event will inform deliberations in the Zinduka Festival which will be held from the 30^th-2^nd June 2013 at the Sheikh Amri Abeidi Memorial Stadium, Arusha. Zinduka Festival will celebrate the diversity of East Africa through a series of festival events that aim to capture the creative energy and vibrancy of East Africans in molding their future. See attached write-up with more information on the Festival. The expectation is that strategies from both Academy and the Festival will greatly inform the ongoing initiatives relating to both regional integration and Pan Africanism.

For more information, visit: http://www.akibauhaki.org