The East African Cultural and Arts Festival serves as a bridge, fostering cultural exchange, diplomacy, infrastructure development, industrial growth, and social cooperation, Gervais Abayeho, Minister of East African Community Affairs, Youth, Sports, and Culture of the Republic of Burundi, told Sputnik Africa.
According to the minister, East African cultural dances such as the Ethiopian and Maasai dances share many similarities. Likewise, Burundian dances and art have similarities with those of neighboring countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania, he added.