Addis Ababa, November 28, 2024 (FBC) – Ethiopian delegation has traveled to Uganda to attend the Ateker Reunion Culture Festival 2024 which kicked off on Wednesday in Soroti City, northeastern Uganda, with great fanfare.
The opening ceremony of the festival, which is being held under the theme of “Celebrating Shared Heritage, Forging Path Towards Peace, Prosperity and Cultural Renaissance,” was attended by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Vice President Jessica Alupo.
Representing Ethiopia at the festival were Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn, former prime minister & the patron of the Ateker people in Africa, Mr. Gebre-Meskel Chala, the Deputy Chief Administrator of the South Ethiopia Regional State, and representatives of culture and sports from the regional state.
The festival also featured the opening ceremony attended by the Speaker of the Kenyan House of Representatives, the Minister of Health of South Sudan, and the ambassadors of Türkiye, China, Russia, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
The festival, being held between 26 and 29 November 2024, brought together various Ateker-speaking communities spanning diverse ethnic groups from Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The Ateker-speaking communities include: the Nyangatom of Ethiopia; Topotha, Bari & Torit of South Sudan; Iteso, Turkana & Masai of Kenya; Iteso, Karimojong, Jie, Dodoth, Kumam, Langi & Kakwa of Uganda and, the Masai of Tanzania, and others closely-knit groups spread across the greater East African region.
The Ateker Reunion Culture Festival 2024 serves as a vibrant testament to the communities “decades after their dispersal and separation.”
The Festival is expected to conclude with the issuance of a communique on commitments to strengthening unity and promoting regional development.