Stakeholders in the region should embrace Kiswahili – in a bid to promote regional unity, Deputy Minister for EAC, United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Abdulla Saadala has said. The Minister was emphatic that the EAC is able and capable of promoting and refining Kiswahili as the lingua franca.
“We need to take the unique moment to champion Kiswahili. We can with the help of experts also have our very own brand of East African Kiswahili, Minister Saadala remarked.
The Deputy Minister made the remarks over the weekend at the Taasisi ya Sanaa na Utamaduni - TaSUBa (Bagamoyo College of Arts) in Bagamoyo where he joined EALA Members in visitation led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon Margaret Nantongo Zziwa.
The Minister for Information, Youth, Culture and Sports, Hon Dr. Fenella E. Mukangara remarked that art played a pivotal role in provision of employment opportunities especially to the youth.
“Performing arts include for example traditional dances, drama, music and circus, while crafts comprise for example painting, curving, weaving and pottery. All these artworks provide employment to many youths in East Africa and contribute immensely to the economic welfare of our people in the region”, Hon Dr. Mukangara said.
The Minister congratulated the TaSUBa Advisory Board following the institution’s designation as an EAC Centre of Excellence.
“EALA’s historic visit to the institute today is seen by us as a rare opportunity for TaSUBa to advertise itself as a strong and reliable resource centre for teaching artistic skills to the whole EAC region”, Hon Dr.Mukangara said.
The Speaker of EALA, Rt. Hon Dr. Margaret Nantongo Zziwa urged the Partner States to enhance promotion of cultural activities in the field of arts in line with Article 119 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC.
The Speaker noted that EALA would continue to undertake collaboration with stakeholders in the region in line with its Strategic Plan’s thematic approach towards a people-centred approach.
The Acting Director of TaSUBa Michael Joseph Kadinde remarked that the institute was now fully registered with the National Council for Technical Education (NACTE) and that it had recently developed a competence based modular curriculum.
TaSUBa currently offers training in dance, drama, music and fine arts according to Mr. Kadinde. The institutions obligations’ after acquiring the EAC’s Centre of Excellence status include reviewing the existing curricula to churn out art professionals to cope with the employment market, encourage and expand public awareness on the exploration of markets and co-operate with the EAC Secretariat to conduct and enhance Art festivals in the region.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Taasisi ya Sanaa na Utamaduni Bagamoyo (TaSUBa) is a product of the Bagamoyo College of Arts and can be traced to 1962 when for the first time in the history of Tanganyika, the Ministry of National Culture and Youth was established. In 1963, the Ministry formulated a National Performing Arts Company (NPAC) starting with dance and it grew over the years to include acrobatics in 1969 and drama in 1974. The same year, the Government established the Ministry of National Culture and Youth and approved a training programme which was designed to give birth to the College of Performing Arts.
In 1981, the College of Performing Arts started officially in Bagamoyo hence acquired the name Bagamoyo College of Performing Arts. After six years of its existence, the College changed its name to Bagamoyo College of Arts (BCA) after introducing Fine Arts subjects.
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