The 2nd Afro-Arab Youth Festival in Uganda is being held under confusion, especially in regard to the question of age restriction which goes against the African Youth Charter of the African Union.

The 2nd Afro-Arab Youth Festival (AAYF) is being held under the Patronage of His Excellency the President of Uganda.  The official opening was held on 13th March 2008 by H.E President Yoweri Museveni. The closing session is to be held on 17th March and it is expected that the Libyan Leader Mouamar Khadafi will address the closing remarks. The 2nd festival previously scheduled for November 2007 was postponed to March 2008. Organizer of the festival: The Afro Arab Youth Council (AAYC), being the organizer of the 2nd AAYF, is a voluntary, independent and non governmental organization.

It has its headquarters in Khartoum, under the auspices of His Excellency President Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan. It is expected that the AAYC will have to contribute more than one million US dollars for this 2nd edition of the Afro-Arab Youth Council’s festival. According to the AAYC-organizer of the festival, it is expecting to attract some 6000 youths representing 220 youth organizations from 60 countries within Africa and the Arab world. Host of the 2nd AAYF: National Youth Council of Uganda and N.R.M youth league. Some 500 young people of Uganda are participating in the festival. The Coordinator is Hon. Kinobe James, Minister of State for Children and Youth Affairs. The 1st AAYF was held in Khartoum in 2004 where the participants were entirely youth from NGOs/Civil Societies and political youth organizations. Many guests from various regional and international youth/students organizations were invited. The Sudanese President gifted an amount of One million US dollars for the successful holding of the 1st AAY-festival. The President of the AAYC is Mr. Abdelhadi from Libya and Secretary General is Mr. El-Yassaa from Sudan. There is a general feeling that the 2nd AAYF is being held in some confusion. It appears that the organizing committee, known as (IPC) or organizing secretariat, led by the AAYC in Khartoum and the National Preparatory Committee led by the Ugandan authority, has two different agendas. The first example is that the AAY, as organizer, has set no age limit and can register participants from 1 to 50 delegates per African and Arab country with no gender restriction, whereas the NPC-Uganda has set up the age limit from 18 to 25 and with 2 participants only per country. Invitations were sent to 71 countries and were carried out only by the Ministry in Charge of Youth of Uganda to all African and Arab Ministries of Youth. 

Many Ministers of Youth and higher official of Youth Ministries are appearing as interveners. Hope the organizers of the festival will keep the 2nd AAYF in the range as a Civil Societies/ NGOs youth event. The age limit imposed by the NPC-Uganda is in total contradiction with the African Youth Charter of the African Union.  The African Youth Charter “AYC” states the following on the question of age issue:  Quote: “YOUTH – For the purposes of this Charter, youth or young people shall refer to every person between the ages of 14 and 35 years”. It is sad and regretful to note that this restriction of ages, where the Coordinator of the NPC-Uganda of the 2nd AAYF, Hon. Kinobe James, Minister of State for Children and Youth Affairs is surely perhaps among those African Ministers of Youth or Minister in charge of Youth who on 2nd July 2006 at Banjul, Gambia, had endorsed the African Youth Charter that stipulates the African youth ages limit between 14 to 35 years. (The African Youth Charter, at this date, has already been ratified by more than 17 African States; at least 15 States ratification are required for the Charter to come into force). Though in Africa, we have a youth age limit, but the reality is that in the Arab world, the age youth limit has not yet defined in many Arab countries. Then, how will the age gap between the African and the Arab participants be considered at the 2nd AAYF? However, since Hon. Mustafa Eldrassi, Chairman of the African Ministers Committee for the African Union is the presenter of the topic: African Youth Charter and will have as intervener Mr. Kyateka Mondo, 1st Vice Chairperson of African Youth Experts Bureau/Assistant Commissioner, Youth and Children Affairs of Uganda will perhaps have this anomaly be addressed. The 2nd AAYF is having 2 different websites. One made available by the festival organizer-AAYC and the other one by the NPC of Uganda.  Some confusion has also been noted concerning the dates: the AAYC defined the dates for the 2nd AAYF from 9 to 13 March 2008, where-as the NPC Uganda says that it will be held from 10th to 17th March 2008. The theme proposed by the AAYC is read as follows “Youth, Peace and Development” and the theme proposed by NPC-Uganda read as follows:  “youth in partnership for peace and development”. The agenda of the organizer-AAYC and the host of the festival – the NPC-Uganda has also been twisted.

One basic issue among others, such as “Rwanda Genocide” and other political issues and themes proposed by the AAYC are also appears been disregarded. Besides, we wonder why the pertinent issues mentioned in the AAYC programs is not being taken up in that of the Uganda NPC, issues such as the current tragic condition of youth in the occupied Palestine territory, the continuous suffering of Iraqi youth, aggression on the young people of Lebanon, Syria and other Arab Nations as well as youth plague and suffering in Africa, as well as the Darfur issue which are among the most common obstacles to achieve, maintain peace and development. A list of a dozen key themes for discussion at the festival with names of confirmed speakers arranged by the festival organizer-AAYC, were finally filled with nominees by Uganda NPC. Furthermore, it appears that very few civil society youth, NYC, NYO and NGOs youth are participating. It is further noticed that governmental sector and few ruling parties youth organs are mainly listed as representatives and interveners. The non-appearance of many regional and international youth organizations on the programmes of the 2nd AAYF, especially those closely associated and traditionally related to the Afro-Arab Youth Council is of much concern.

However, the presence of USAID sponsor international youth organization- is listed as intervener It would have been interesting to see that the 2nd AAYF organizer, the Afro-Arab Youth Council to promote for the expansion of the civil societies/ NGOs youth in lines with their objectives, rules and policies. No travel assistance is given to foreign participants. Accommodation, local transportation and food are provided.  The registration fee per delegate is at 50.00 US $. The question remains:  What are the prospects of Civil Society/NGOs and Independent youth organizations in such youth NGOs process? Are they sidelined?

N.Bossoondyal
(An international Youth/NGOs Activist)
Mauritius-This 14th March 2008.

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