East African Community Arts and Culture Festival (JAMAFEST)
To provide a platform to showcase culture as a primary catalyst to regional integration and sustainable development;
To bring together East African cultural practitioners and administrators to celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage as well as contemporary practices of East Africa;
To provide space for intercultural dialogue amongst the people of East Africa;
To foster the economic development of the EAC through nurturing the growth of a strong creative and cultural industry sector ; and
To promote arts and culture as a tool in the celebration and branding of East African identity and image.
People from the EAC Partner States coming together to undertake and to promote cooperation among themselves in culture and sports with respect to the promotion of cultural activities. Another related target is to strengthen and consolidate the long standing political, economic, social and cultural ties between the peoples of the Partner States thus widening and deepening integration for their mutual benefit, thus fulfilling the theme: “One people one destiny”. Further, through JAMAFEST, the artists benefits from a regional exposure) and the audience gets to know the artistic productions of their neighbours thereby contributing in developing a regional market for both cultural producers and consumers
Promote cultural tourism as well as conservation, safeguarding and development of culture heritage within the EAC;
Provide a platform and opportunities for marketing cultural and creative commodity outputs within the region and internationally;
Enhance participants' knowledge and competencies through workshops and symposia ; and
Provide participants with a platform to showcase their artistic works beyond national borders.
The budget and festival activities fall under the responsibility of the EAC Secretariat and Partner States. In Rwanda, it is the Ministry in charge of of East African Community Afairs (MINEACOM).