The East African Community: What we can learn from each other

As the integration process gains momentum, it is worth reflecting on what each member state has to offer to the community at large. I have had the privilege of experiencing the possible benefits of being an East African citizen. I was born in Kenya and have lived in Nairobi for over 10 years; I studied primary school in both Kenya and Rwanda; my high school years were divided between schools in Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. I have also had close friends and girlfriends who are Tanzanian, Burundian and Kenyan. Basically, I have interacted with East Africans throughout my life. Over the years, I have picked out some unique characteristics and experiences that I think each East African state would contribute to the region as a whole. Firstly, let us use a working definition of a community as being ‘a group or society, helping each other’, as this appropriately denotes the importance of such a reflection.Abanyarwanda (Rwandans)The story of Rwanda has been a breath of fresh air in the modern history of Africa. Very few African countries have demonstrated the tremendous potential of visionary leadership coupled with dedicated and determined citizens as Rwanda has. As a student of International Relations in Africa, many a times, I have been in forums and debates where majority of participants have cited Rwanda as an exemplary model for what the modern African state should look like in many regards. Abanyarwanda bring to East Africa a number of crucial lessons: they teach us that it is possible for an African country to effectively fight corruption in every sector of its society; they bring a successful track record in putting to good use foreign aid while attractively branding the country to attract foreign investors. The Rwandan experience also offers East Africa the crucial lesson that strategic long term and detailed planning is essential for any country to successfully develop, something that is well captured in the country’s development plan dubbed Vision 2020. Perhaps the greatest lesson that Rwanda brings to the East African Community is that visionary and disciplined leadership is the key to unleashing Africa’s potential.Wakenya (Kenyans)Kenya is generally considered to be the regional hegemony - in other words, East Africa’s big brother. One of the factors that may have led to this reality is that Kenya has been relatively a peaceful and working nation since gaining independence from Britain in 1963. This is crucial because every member state of the EAC has been affected by conflict or economic crises which significantly hindered their development patterns. However, what is more relevant is that Kenyans are extremely hardworking and highly enterprising people. I believe that once deeper integration takes place, that is, once free movement of people becomes a common occurrence across the region, it will positively impact East Africa at large to have the Kenyan work ethic and business acumen rub off on all citizens of the Community. We may get our infrastructure right, we may successfully fight corruption, we may have visionary leaders, but if East Africa does not promote and develop a healthy work ethic and a competitive enterprising spirit, we will not go very far in our development agenda. Secondly, Kenya has important lessons in democracy that they would do well to teach us in the region. Considering that the country had one of the longest serving authoritarian leaders in the world- President Daniel Arap Moi, who ruled Kenya for 24 years, the events that led to his downfall proved that Kenyan’s have developed a mature sense of democracy. One would think that after the downfall of such a long serving leader, there would follow chaos and gridlock in government business, as has been in the case in a number of North African countries after the Arab Spring. However Kenyan’s showed us how to prioritise development and peace and to avoid never ending bickering for power. Today, Kenya continues to be the regional leader in terms of industrialisation. Certainly, having a regional power like Kenya is not such a bad thing as many critics and cynics would suggest; big brother does have more experience after all.Watanzania (Tanzanians)Whenever I hear the name Tanzania, it elicits in me a nostalgic feeling of solidarity and revolution in Africa. During my course work in African Liberation History, one of the key figures in the struggle against colonialism and apartheid was the great Tanzanian leader Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere.This man of short stature was an imposing figure throughout Africa and across the world for his intellect, charisma and dedication to the struggle for freedom in Africa. It is not surprising at all that the key lesson that watanzania bring to the East African Community is closely linked to this pan African stalwart. What Tanzania brings to East Africa is the much needed experience of combating negative ethnicity and uniting a richly diverse African country. Mwalimu Nyerere was determined to unite the 120 or so ethnic groups in his country, and through promoting a common language that is Kiswahili and teaching the nation to value self reliance and dignity, he successfully accomplished what most countries in East Africa are still grappling with. It is no small feat what Tanzania has managed to achieve and preserve over the years, and this makes it a valuable member of the East African Community.Abarundi (Burundians)For those who have been to Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, one of the most striking features is the Lake Tanganyika. The ambience created by this beautiful lake makes Bujumbura a very amiable place to be, and the people seem to have caught on to that friendly nature. As the country continues to develop after a bitter civil war, integration will certainly mean that Bujumbura will be transformed into one of the most attractive destinations in the region. This will attract numerous regional and foreign tourists to the country, and in turn significantly benefit the economy of Burundi. Coupled with all the strengths of the other East African Community members, Burundi is certainly a key nation in the community. Banayuganda (Ugandan’s)During my stint in high school and university in Uganda, it was common knowledge that Ugandans were the most experienced ‘hustlers’ on campus. I don’t know what it is that makes Ugandans highly enterprising with a keen sense of capitalising on current trends, but I know firsthand that many of them are above average when it comes to entrepreneurship. Perhaps because of the social context at University, Ugandans seemed to make it big when it came to entertainment and fashion businesses. With such an acumen, East Africa is set to be a global leader in fashion and entertainment sectors. I can imagine Ugandans setting up world class entertainment facilities on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Burundi, and unearthing a number of world class models from Rwanda, or even branding the region as the leading destination for ‘Beauty and Entertainment’. Whatever the future holds in that regard, Uganda is a crucial player in the integration process, and their enterprising spirit is an added benefit for the region at large.It would not be possible to exhaust each nations strengths in this reflection, and I’m certain the pessimists will consider this to be an imbalanced outlook of the integration process as I have not mentioned any weaknesses or negative aspects. However, my point throughout this piece is that integration is an unavoidable reality in this day and age and it makes good economic, social, and security sense. Therefore, we should begin to highlight such positive aspects of the integration project so as to make the East African Community vision more palatable and realistic to ordinary citizens. Having interacted with people from every member state of the EAC, I am convinced that we each have some very valuable lessons and experiences to share with each other, and in doing so, this will strengthen the East African bloc to become a leader in African and global politics while benefiting more from the International Financial System. Abanyarwanda, wakenya, watanzania, abarundi, banayuganda, as the EAC motto rightly states, we are ‘one people,’ with ‘one destiny’, so let us unite.The writer is the Manager, Policy Research and Advocacy at YES Rwanda