Simon Gikuru, secretary general of EABOR, said before coming to the function, Ruto had lunch with President Museveni, who is patron of EABOR, at State Lodge Mubende, where Museveni pledged a contribution of $100,000 (about Shs 360 million) to the institute. The construction of the institute facility is estimated to last one year and to cost $7 million (about Shs 25 billion).
Bamutaze said the goals of the institute include drawing on the core strengths of disciplines and experience to develop and refine methodologies for deeper study of Africa; developing innovative approaches to teaching and learning about Africa; collaborating with similar institutes in Africa and the world to deepen and improve the understanding of Africa in all its complexity and develop common perspectives on global issues.
He said other goals are strengthening relationships between academic and indigenous intellectuals as the basis for reclaiming indigenous knowledge and integrating it into local communities; developing conducive environment for flourishing study and debate on African languages, arts, philosophies, social and political systems; enhancing and enriching intellectual and cultural life; and contributing to discussion, analysis and resolution of critical development challenges facing African societies through research and extension work.
Bamutaze said the institute will house, among other things, a library, and conduct an annual lecture taking place in different East African Community countries on rotational basis.
Prof Nawangwe said this is going to be the second such institute on the continent, but that is not satisfactory unless the institute impacts the whole African society.
Dr Ruto gave a keynote address that touched on the need to enhance pan-Africanism to a higher level by critiquing and transforming our institutions and communication channels. He called the institute “an important shrine for pan-Africanism” where “an African-led revolution in research shall be empowered”. He argued that there is nothing inherently African in Africa being left behind; instead he blamed the usage of norms, values and languages that African peoples don’t understand.
Elaborating on Africa’s advantages of having the highest rate of return on investment and a young population, Ruto said Africa must shift from the mindset of dilemmas, victimhood, slave trade, Eurocentrism and unscientific analyses.
“It’s time to claim an Afrocentric knowledge base. Our knowledge-seeking methods must change. We must globalize and evolve simultaneously with the rest of the world,” he urged.
“I strongly believe we haven’t told our story. The lion must learn to tell its story so that the story becomes balanced; not to continue relying on the hunter’s narration. Conflicts, diseases and poverty is not the whole of our [Africans’] story.”
He added that the political borders on the continent, drawn by colonialists who did not have our interests at heart, must be turned into bridges and stepping stones to working together, and utilizing big scale or numbers to negotiate with large countries in terms of geographical size, resources and population.
Ruto also advocated formation of mass national political parties because they easily marshal enough human resource to effect social transformation and displace the retrogressive politics of ethnicity and other parochialisms. Hence he praised Uganda’s National Resistance Movement and Kenya’s Jubilee Party which he founded with Uhuru Kenyatta.
Hailing the experience of China whose rapid progress in the last 30 years he attributed to the existence of a large movement party – the Communist Party of China (CPC) – Ruto proposed a merger of NRM with Jubilee Party.
“We merged 12 parties to form Jubilee, and currently we have 100 members of parliament more than the numbers of the next represented party in parliament. I propose that we should merge the NRM and Jubilee Party to build the largest party in Africa.”
Minister of East African Community Affairs Gen Kahinda Otafiire was chief host, standing in for Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda.
jmusinguzi@observer.ug