I recently had a chat with some five Form One students from a school in Dar es Salaam. Our conversation centred on the East African Community (EAC). It emerged that some of them were not aware that Rwanda and Burundi are members of the community.

As for Uganda and Kenya, they perceived the two countries as benefiting more from the EAC than motherland Tanzania.

I asked them, how? One of them offered that all one needs to do is go to any Tanzanian village shop and see the many manufactured products coming from Kenya, even when the items could easily be made here.

I am a firm believer in Africa Unity, and I want the EAC to be a success story.

But the stereotypes, which sometimes have elements of truth about the community not being too good for Tanzania, do not augur well, more so, when it is the young generation that is involved.

Why do we want the EAC for, if not for our young people? At the top, that is, at the EAC presidential summit, at the ministerial and secretariat levels, things are moving fine.

However, for the common citizen in the interiors of community member states s/he probably knows of no tangible benefits from the EAC, so far.

Indeed, a cross section of Tanzanians appear ignorant of the workings of the EAC, that is why many know little of the community and their limitation of common knowledge goes beyond that. No wonder there are reports of some people from remote areas, still thinking our head of state is still the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.

One common factor is that such people suffer from extreme poverty and even as we talk of great strides being made in telecoms and infrastructure, such developments are but too distant for them.

If they have never been informed, or never heard or felt the impact of such developments, who is to blame?

Still, there are many Tanzanians that support the EAC despite the many problems the community has been facing in implementation of the common market protocol and other key principles. Of late, the talks about EAC Monetary Union have also been in top gear.

Yet, recent developments make me wonder if the EAC vision to have “a prosperous, competitive, secure, stable and politically united East Africa; and its mission to widen and deepen economic, political, social and cultural integration in order to improve the quality of life of the people of East Africa through increased competitiveness, value added production, trade and investments,” can be realised any time soon.

If the reports that have been making the rounds about President Paul Kagame of Rwanda engaging in an unfortunate diplomatic spat over President Jakaya Kikwete’s suggestion that Rwanda and Uganda should consider talking with their countries’ rebel groups operating in DR Congo for the sake of greater peace and security in the Great Lakes Region, including East Africa, are true, then it is most unfortunate.

Tanzania and Rwanda, now happy members of the EAC, have had a long history of cooperation and good neighbourliness amidst conflicts that continue to afflict most of the Great Lakes Region.

Fortunate countries such as Tanzania have unreservedly supported struggles for liberation, independence and territorial integrity not only in the Great Lakes Region, but also Southern Africa.

This role is enshrined in the history of African struggles and shall never be obliterated on the whims of those deliberately forgetful.

In the case of the EAC heads of state summits, the authoritative forum of the community, we want to see our heads of state, without exception, amicably sitting down together to discuss East African cooperation in unity.

Differences at summit levels, as elsewhere in community of nations’ parleys, are healthy, but by the end of the da consesensus should be reached for a way forward.

Rwanda and Tanzania can and must get over the diplomatic squabbles, amplified in the media circus.

Otherwise, the perception of my Form One students, probably speaking for many others, that Tanzanians derive little benefit from the EAC could gain more negative currency. This does not augur well for the future of the community.

Similarly, many people also remain unclear about how Tanzania benefits from membership in other regional groupings, for instance, the Southern African Development Community-Sadc).

We have a long way to go and a lot of soul searching is necessary to educate and induce ownership spirit for the EAC, Sadc as well as other international organisations.

adapted from The Citizen