Promoting intergration through music

The awareness campaign to promote the EAC integration within the region has gained an impetus, as the regional music giants finally intervened to spread the gospel about the benefits of coming together as one community.Apparently the awareness crusade has always been contined at the political level where governments under the ministries in charge draft the communication strategies about the integration agenda.According to one of Rwanda’s cultural music stars, Intore Masamba the initiative is spearheaded by different artistes including Dr Jose Chameleon from Uganda, Professor Jay of Tanzania, and Redsan from Kenya. The Burundian musicians will be identified soon. “We want to be part of the integration agenda; we need people to unite and as the east African artistes we have agreed to conduct different concerts in all the partner states,” Masamba told The New Times.Masamba, who performed in the just concluded Badilisha concert in Kampala that was organised by East Africa’s heavy weight and Leone Island boss Jose Chameleone, observed that the next performance will be held in Nairobi, Kenya followed by Tanzania and Rwanda before heading to Burundi. “We shall need a support from the EAC secretariat and we are going to officially contact them so that our initiative succeeds,” he added.However, this will be an added advantage to the East African Community secretariat, as it seeks new approaches to promote the integration agenda among all the 135 million people within the community. Most of the challenges that have been raised as the integration process spurs, is the lack of knowledge among the people about the integration agenda meaning that there is still a lot to be done.Masamba said that most of the regional artistes have expressed interest in making collaboration with Rwandan musicians, especially the cultural artistes.The recent survey by TradeMark East African indicated that at least 73 per cent of Rwandans are aware of the East African Community (EAC), way above the rates in Burundi, Kenya and Tanzania.Rwanda and Burundi officially joined the EAC on July 1, 2007, seven years after the original partner states, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda revived the community. The bloc had earlier collapsed in 1977 over political disagreements ten years after its establishment.Masamba’s collaborationApparently as away of promoting Rwandan music within the region, Masamba noted that he would be working with Dr Jose Chameleone, Irene Namubiru and Desire Luzinda a famous Uganda vocalist.“My first song with Dr Chameleone will be in Kinyarwanda, Kiganda and Swahili, and we have already done the track. In this song, I sing the chorus in Luganda while Chameleone sings in Kinyarwanda,” concluded Masamba.

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Promoting intergration through music