UNIFYING EAST AFRICA
THROUGH ARTS AND CULTURE
By
Prof. (Dr. Dr.) Elisante Ole Gabriel
Professor of Strategic Planning and Mgt.
Director of Youth Development, Tanzania
www.olegabriel.com,
elisante_gabriel@yahoo.com
+255-784-455
INTRODUCTION
The Concept of Culture: A General
Overview
• What is Culture?
Culture is defined as shared patterns of
behaviors and interactions, learned
through a process of socialization (hence
social construction).
• These shared patterns identify the
members of a culture group while also
distinguishing those of another group.
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Intro cont..
• Most social scientists today view culture as
consisting primarily of the symbolic, ideational,
and intangible aspects of human societies.
• Even the words we speak and the way we
speak is a function of culture.
• Moral Capital = Social Capital + Ethical Capital
• People are different and their differences are
different because of culture and beliefs.
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Intro cont..
• It is the values, symbols, interpretations,
and perspectives that distinguish one
people from another in modernized
societies
• It is not material objects and other
tangible aspects of human societies.
• Even within EAC people have different
working culture, we need to integrate.
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Intro cont..
• Kluckhohn, C., et al. (1945), in their book
of “The Science of Man in the World
Culture. New York. (pp. 78-105)”, define
culture as those historically created
designs for living, explicit and implicit,
rational, irrational, and non-rational, which
exist at any given time as potential guides
for the behavior of men.
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Intro cont..
• Therefore, the most notable things about
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culture embrace issues on:
Behaviorial Patterns
Socialization
Attitudes,
Values
Symbols
Interpretations and Perspectives
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BASIC ELEMENTS OF CULTURE
– Language
– Norms
– Values
– Beliefs and Ideologies.
– Social Collectives.
– Status and Roles.
– Cultural Integration.
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FOSTERING THE INTEGRATION
THROUGH A FORMALIZED
CULTURAL INDUSTRY
• Cultural industry is not a new
phenomenon in East African Countries.
• It has been there since a primitive era.
Our ancestors used to practice things such
as traditional dancing, crafting, curving,
knitting, etc.
• Culture was and still a means for
socialization, solidarity and integration
among different groups in their societies.
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Cont..
• The situation has remained the same despite of
the emerging new inventions in science and
technology.
• This have posed a strong challenge demanding
the East African Countries to radically undergo
a consistent change in Cultural Industry.
• It culture which will act as a glue to ensure that
EAC becomes ‘one team’ and works through
synergy (1+1+1+1+1 > 5).
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Why is it important undergo
this change on cultural
industry?
• The Governments will be able to collect taxes,
having a competitive economies
• To enact and enforce laws which will
safeguard the work rights of the local artists in
the East Africa
• The manifestation of what is being portrayed
can help to promote, strengthen and maintain
peace and tranquility in EAC and beyond
• We need to engage seriously on the cultural
integration during peace than waiting for
‘chaos’ then to mediate.
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Cont..
• Through a formalized cultural industry it
will help the member states in East Africa
to have a Regional Representation and
Identity beyond borders
• A formalized cultural industry will help to
address social issues prevailing in the
societies include HIV/AIDS, drug abuse
and trafficking, crime, to mention the few
• A formalized cultural industry if well
promoted it will help to create jobs and
reduce unemployment rate among youth
in East Africa
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HOW TO SPEED THE FORMALIZATION
PROCESS IN EAC?
• Member States in East Africa Community
should see the need and importance of
Cultural Industry as a formal sector in
accordance with the change in science
and technology in the World
• Member States in EAC should develop
policies and strategies to guide through
the process towards the formulization of
cultural industry and it implementation
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Cont..
• In order for the process to yield
effectively, there is a need for public
awareness campaign to be conducted so
that the society will acknowledge the
fruitfulness of this industry on social and
economic prosperous of their countries
• There is a need to mainstream cultural
industry in schools’ curriculum in order to
increase more awareness about various
activities associated with this industry
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Lessonf from the Cultural
Industry in EAC
• God has given us so many opportunities
which we are not utilizing
• Unemployment being a serious problem
globally, cultural industry can help to
reduce the pressure. And..
• Some key players (artists) in the industry
have some social-cultural problems which
do tarnish the image of the industry
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CONCLUSION
• Formalization of Cultural
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•
+255-784-455499
elisante_gabriel@yahoo.com
www.olegabriel.com
Industry in EAC has a strong
impact on the Macro
environment (SLEEP-TIN
Forces)
There should be a think Tank
for cultural industry
development in EAC.
AND
Research and Deveplemt is
necessary for strategic
formalization of the industry
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