Editor's Column on the Eye of the Horn of African Affairs

IGAD Breaking News (HAN) December 16, 2005.

Somaliland

Ethiopia

Eritrea

Djibouti

Kenya

Somalia

Sudan

Uganda

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Djibouti: The 6th Annual Horn of Africa Fest of Music 

Djibouti (HAN) December 16, 2005 - The Djibouti seem to take taste with the musical parade of Fest' Horn. The second of the kind had as a starting point the quay level behind the theatre of the Salt works. It y' takes place to stress that attroupement was formed there around two trailers on board of which the artists are perched. 9. 00 sounds the hour for the procession of the parade to take the road under the amused glances of the badauds. 

The 6th Annual Regional Festival of Music "Fest' Horn" was jointly launched yesterday evening to the Palate of the People by the Prime Minister Dileita Mohamed Dileita and the Minister for the Communication and the Culture, Ali Abdi Farah. This cultural event became in a few years a major event on the musical and artistic level. An event recognized on the regional and international scene which causes the passion of a young public but also constitutes an appointment impossible to circumvent for the in love ones with the informed music and music lovers. This demonstration develops sounds, rates/rhythms and melodies which make us vibrate and move. Seven troops come from the Côte.d'ivoire, of Kenya, of Yemen, of Sudan, of Uganda and Ethiopia take part in this festival at the sides of eight national musical groups. 

With the occasion of the opening of this 6th Annual of the Horn of Africa Festival, the Minister of Transport, Culture charged with the Stations and Telecommunications, Mr. Ali Abdi Farah made an address in which it has from the start welcomed the artists hosts who take part in this festival "For the minister, the Festival of music constitutes a platform of expression which carries in it of the messages of hope and an ideal of peace. During its course, Fest' Horn passed from national event to an even international regional demonstration. "Supporting the culture of peace in our under area, the present edition falls under an optics of access of the young people to the culture" added the minister. "Thus Fest' Horn gives itself the vocation to sensitize, and to mobilize the young people with the practice of the cultural activities" it has says. "Djibouti, ground of exchanges and meetings is yours" declared the minister with the address of the artists hosts. It thanked them for their displacement and their will and to share with us artistic richness and cultural arrivals of other horizons. In addition to, the artistic representations, the integration of the professional meetings testifies to a framework of exchanges and experiments of which it is useful to point out their importance in the improvement and the formation continues essential to all the artists and technicians in its and light. 

According to the minister, cultural diversity takes all its direction so much it protége the cultural expression of any community some is its demography and its economic capacity, and Fest' Horn reflects these richness of them. On this subject, has it says l"' one could not thank with his right value the active and permanent support for the head for the State his Excellence Mr. Ismail Omar Guelleh which seized philosophy as much only the range of Fest' Horn whose feeder sap is cultural diversity." In this spirit the 6th edition of Fest' horn crossroads and punt forms expression of the music is carrying messages and hope for a culture of peace and a more close regional cultural integration of the countries of the IGAD. This event constitutes of this fact the common denominator of the people of the horn of Africa, specified the minister. Indeed the proof is that in a few weeks in January 2006, the IGAD will celebrate its 20th anniversary. 

Mr. Ali Abdi Farah also added that Fest' Horn, in its gasoline, testifies to the creative vitality of each culture. Each people having itself to protect his culture and its specified in diversity the more so as one feel all threatened by the marchandisation of the cultural goods and universalization. The minister thanked the unit for the artists for their engagement to preserve and transmit cultural values which must pass from generation to generation. 

He congratulated Association for the Development and the Cultural Action (STOI) initiating and promotrice on the known as festival which had the merit to have shown the viability and the importance of this demonstration. He moreover thanked the unit for the sponsors who support this exceptional event followed this year by a team of the chain of French television TV5 what gives its international character to him. Nourished applause accommodated the passage of the procession throughout the route. One read joy on the radiant faces of the men, the women, the young people and less young people. Good environment reached tops with the avenue Nasser, the ex street of Issas and in front of the college of State of Djibouti. It was thus until the arrival of the procession to the terminus of the route which was not other than the esplanade of the Palate of the People. Then, all this nasty bunch separated in calms at the end of this parade..

The 1st Annual FESTHORN of Music held in Djibouti 2000

Djibouti (HAN) December 16, 2005 - FESTHORN is a regional festival for Culture of Peace in the Horn of Africa. It will bring together artistes and singers from the IGAD member states of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Sudan and one other country belonging to the Red Sea culturally--Yemen. Artistes representing these countries will be musicians and singers who are famous and popular in their respective countries and, if possible, in the region at large, and who are committed to the promotion of the culture of peace. For financial and organizational reasons, the number of artistes from each country is limited to 10 (ten) plus two accompanying persons.

As this Festival is dedicated to Somalia, this country will be represented by a bigger “artistic delegation”. This delegation should reflect not only the artistic diversity of Somalia but also the diversity of its population. This concern for equity of representation is essential for cohesion purposes and for credibility and success of the Festival.

The Festival will provide an opportunity to the artistes and singers of the region to express their solidarity with the peoples of the region in general and the Somali people in particular. This Festival will be the first real mobilization, following the "Band-Aid" formula, by the artistes and singers of the region in favor of one of the countries of the region.

The festival is expected to realize the following:

• Provide the opportunity and a forum to the artistes of the sub-region to express their solidarity with and support their Somali brothers, and to launch an appeal in favor of peace and reconciliation in Somalia.
• Provide a forum for exchange of views, dialogue and cooperation between artistes and producers in the Horn of Africa.

• Mobilize the artistes of the sub-region and the public in the struggle against the root causes of war (prejudice, intolerance, exclusion, injustice, etc) and endeavor for the creation of a culture of peace in the region.
• Bring together and mobilize Somali artistes with a view to an effective and more organized participation in the process of reconciliation and return of peace to their country.
• Sensitize the people of the sub-region on their socio cultural affinities, their common destiny and the necessity of peace for their development and future integration. This will be done through dissemination of audio-visual material on the Festival.

There will be a forum that will perform the following activities:

1. a workshop on the possibilities of mobilizing Somali artistes and intellectuals and to identify their potential role in the process of reconciliation
2. a seminar on the experience of Somali women in peace building and their role in the process of national reconciliation,
3. A congress of the Somali section of the Pen-Club which bring together Somali writers and the theme of which would be the role of literature and intellectual production in peace building and national reconciliation, the congress could be incorporated with activity (a).

UNESCO PEER has been following this initiative with the Djibouti Government since early 1998 and the following are the contributions made:

• Djibouti Government approached UNESCO PEER for funding and the latter shared the request with its partners
• UNESCO assisted Djibouti Government in preparing a project document and submitted to the Italian Government which pledged USD 200,000 towards the festival.
• UNESCO PEER will contribute US$ 25,000 for the project and give technical support.

• Officials from UNESCO PEER have undertaken a number of missions to Djibouti and provided the preparatory committee suggestions on technical, practical and financial aspects of FESTHORN implementation.

The latest budget figure submitted by the organizing committee indicates that the cost of the festival will be around $410,000 and a rough estimate of the costs of the forum is around $450,000. This makes the global budget of both the festival and the forum roughly around $850,000.

President Guelle will convene a consultative meeting in Djibouti in the beginning of February 2000 wherein the discussion of festival will be pursued and a steering committee formed. It will handle the conceptual as well as the implementation issues of the festival.

This communication is intended to elicit interest and encourage widest possible participation in this effort by agencies and individuals interested in promotion of peace in Somalia. The festival is planned tentatively to take place in the first week of March 2000.

HAN Note: "FESTHORN is a regional festival for Culture of Peace in the Horn of Africa. It will bring together artistes and singers from the IGAD member states of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Sudan and one other country belonging to the Red Sea culturally--Yemen."

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