The EAC and the soft power of Eastafricanness: Does it have limits?

The East African Community (EAC) is often used as a yardstick by the Africa Regional Integration Index, which at times cites it as the most integrated regional bloc. Recently, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) joined the EAC seduced by its perspectives, and now, member states of the Community stretch from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic. Thus, it seems that the soft power of the EAC, including its spirit of Eastafricanness and Swahili as its lingua franca, is in force. Against this backdrop, this chapter examines the EAC’s pursuit of regional integration through the lens of soft and normative power, which collectively foster a shared East African identity, often conceptualised as “Eastafricanness”. However, the EAC faces many challenges, and its regional identity, crystalised in economic integration, is put to the test in other spheres, which might traditionally not have been its priority. This chapter ultimately calls for a proactive approach to sustaining the EAC’s achievements and mitigating potential risks linked to overextension and integration challenges. © 2025 selection and editorial matter, Oluwaseun Tella; individual chapters, the contributors.