BUJUMBURA September 7th (ABP) – The President of the Republic of Burundi and President of the East African Community (EAC), Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye, accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Angeline Ndayishimiye, enhanced his presence on Monday evening September 5, 2022, at the Intwari stadium in Bujumbura, the official launch ceremonies of the 5th edition of the arts and culture festival within the EAC.
It was clarified that Burundi was honored by the EAC to host that festival from 4 to 12 September 2022 under the theme “Harnessing cultural resources to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic within the community Africa”, which is a good opportunity for EAC Member States to strengthen unity through their cultural diversity, it was reported.
President Ndayishimiye immediately visited the various stands of art and cultural objects from the various member countries of the EAC on display at the Boulevard de l’Indépendance.
In his address, the Head of State expressed his gratitude to the Heads of State of the EAC member countries for having honored Burundi by sending their cultural groups.
“We gather in Bujumbura as one people with a common destiny to celebrate and recognize the great importance of our cultural diversity, which is a key element in driving regional integration among EAC Member States “, President Ndayishimiye pointed out to the various participants from the host country, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.
According to the President of the EAC, this meeting is of paramount importance, an opportunity for exchanges and sharing of experiences likely to promote social cohesion and unity within the East African community. East.
In his speech, the Minister of EAC Affairs, Culture and Sports, Ambassador Ezéchiel Nibigira, remarked that the theme chosen for this year is instructive as to the determination of EAC Member States to exploit their cultural resources for the well-being of the community.
Mr. Nibigira stressed that culture is a way of life for members of society. The collection of ideas, the customs learned, shared and transmitted from generation to generation are considered an identity of a people, he added.
The Treaty establishing the EAC stipulates in its article 190 that the partner States of the EAC must promote close cooperation between them through culture and sports, recalled Mr. Nibigira, adding that paragraph C of the same article emphasizes the promotion of cultural activities.
In the same vein, Minister Nibigira said that the protocol on the creation of the EAC and the common market stipulates in its article 34 in the fourth paragraph that the partner States of the EAC must implement programs aimed at promoting, to preserve and popularize cultural activities and heritage in development initiatives.
The launching ceremonies of the 5th edition of the EAC arts and culture festival also saw the participation of the vice-president of the Republic of Burundi, the prime minister of the Republic of Burundi, members of the government and senior executives of the State, elected representatives of the people, the Deputy Secretary General of the EAC in charge of social affairs and the productive sectors, the representative of the President of the Court of Justice of the EAC, representatives of the diplomatic corps and consular officers accredited to Burundi, delegates from EAC member countries and many others.