The East Africa Art Biennale association is a non-profit, non-commercial, non-governmental organisation registered since January 2003 with the Tanzanian National Council of Arts (BASATA Serial No 1950) and depending solely on grants, donations and sponsorships for funds or for services from national and international organisations and companies.
The East Africa Art Biennale association is based in Tanzania, with headquarters at the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Fine and Performing Arts – FPA Department (Prof. Elias Jengo, Biennale Chairman’s office). The Organising Committee is forming biennale National Committees in the other countries  of East Africa (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda) with the purpose of selecting the local  artists and organizations that will ultimately participate.
The association promotes all the artists of East Africa and their productions, by sorting out and editing all information made available, and by diffusing it to all stakeholders in the art sector by means of the normal mail, publications, leaflets, videos, films and books as well as through electronic mail, by the establishment of a constantly updated website and by networking with interested partners in the region or abroad (art associations, trusts, funds, foundations, galleries and museums). The association organizes every two years (Biennale) a fine arts exhibition including visual and performing arts, with artists from the East Africa region. This biannual exhibition also includes a space opened to artists outside the East Africa region and coming from other parts of Africa as well as of the World.
The East Africa Art Biennale accepts submissions to exhibit paintings, sculptures, print works, conceptual and contextual works and installations, video art, textile art, and photography. In addition, dance, theatre, poetry, comedy, singing and music performances are staged by each National Committee during the tenure of the biennale in their respective country.
The EASTAFAB also includes a limited space for African artists from regions other than East Africa as well as for foreign artists residing in East Africa or foreign artists whose productions are related to East Africa, to interact with our local artists.
The artworks exhibited can be put on sale or not, depending on the participant’s expressed intention; the proceedings from the sale of the artworks, after deduction of a 20% commission to the biennale association, will be paid to the artists by the Organising Committee in Dar-esSalaam, Tanzania, or forwarded to the sub-committees in Bujumbura, Kampala, Kigali and Nairobi, accordingly.
The 5th edition in 2011 was the first to move across East Africa. The exhibition was shown in Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania) in November 2011, then transported by road to Arusha (East Africa Community Headquarters, Tanzania) in January 2012, to Nairobi (Kenya) in February 2012, to Kampala (Uganda) in March 2012, to Kigali (Rwanda) in April 2012 and to Bujumbura (Burundi) in May 2012.
