The adoption of the East Africa political federation’s regional Anthem has been deferred to August.
An Anthem is a song of devotion, usually acting as a symbol of unity, loyalty and solidarity of the people.
Six songs in both English and Kiswahili by different composers in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania were selected from a list of 90 compositions that were submitted to the Anthem’s technical committee.
Early this year, Kenya’s Mamlaka choir presented some of the proposed anthems at the Kenya National Theatre. The songs included East Africa land of Peace and Unity, Tupendane Tuungane Pamoja, Tupendane sote, East Africa bound forever.
Others proposed songs presented by the choir led by its director Ernest Okumu Waomba were, Mungu Ibariki Jumuia ya Afrika Mashariki, and Jumuia ya Afrika ya Mashariki.
According to Anthem’s technical committee chairman, Amani Silverse, the committee has identified three songs, from which the heads of states of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania currently attending a summit at Serena Hotel in Kampala, were expected to choose one.
Silverse however says Composers of the songs and their resident countries were cannot be disclosed in order to make the vetting process free from any bias.
He said the three proposals cannot be attributed to any single composer because the content of the final anthem is an integration of lines and translation from all the 90 songs that were submitted during the competitition.
