The culture of Burundi is based on local tradition and common influence with its neighbors.

Music

Traditional drumming of ''

karyenda The ''karyenda'' is a traditional African drum. It was the main symbol of Burundi and its '' Mwami'' (King) and had semi-divine status. The ''Mwami'' was said to interpret the beatings of the karyenda into rules for the kingdom. History ...

'' is an important part of Burundian cultural heritage, as indicated by the world-famous

Royal Drummers of Burundi The Royal Drummers of Burundi, commonly known in recordings as The Drummers of Burundi, is a percussion ensemble originally from Burundi. Their performances are a part of ceremonies such as births, funerals, and coronations of '' mwami'' (Kings). ...

. Traditional dance often accompanies the drumming, which is frequently seen in celebrations and family gatherings. Some Burundian artisans have special songs to accompany different stages of their work.

Media

Literature and oral tradition

During the 1972 genocide, many Burundians involved in

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after comple ...

were killed, stalling written culture. This combined with the lower

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

have encouraged an adherence to Burundi's strong oral tradition, which relays history and life lessons through storytelling, poetry, and song. This is evident in ''kivivuga amazina'', an improvisational poetry contest played by cattle herders, in which they boast their abilities or accomplishments.

Sports

Football is a popular pastime throughout the country, as are

mancala The mancala games are a family of two-player turn-based strategy board games played with small stones, beans, or seeds and rows of holes or pits in the earth, a board or other playing surface. The objective is usually to capture all or some ...

games. Many Burundians celebrate Christian holidays and Burundian Independence Day, though the largest celebration occurs on New Year's Day with feasting and traditional drumming and dancing. Burundi's women's national volleyball team lastly qualified for the 2021 Women's African Nations Volleyball Championship.

Cuisine

Burundian cuisine utilises maize and bananas as staple foods and often contains red kidney beans. Meals are not usually accompanied by sweet foods or dessert. During celebrations and gatherings, Burundians drink homemade banana wine and beer, sometimes drinking through straws from a single large container. In some areas,

brochette A skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold pieces of food together. The word may sometimes be used as a metonym, to refer to the entire food item served on a skewer, as in "chicken skewers". Skewers are used while grilling or roasting ...

s and frites are a popular remnant of the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

colonial period. The presence of Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika adds fish such as ''ngangara'' and ''mukeke'' to Burundian cuisine. A national brewery produces Primus and

Amstel The Amstel () is a river in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It flows from the Aarkanaal and Drecht in Nieuwveen northwards, passing Uithoorn, Amstelveen, and Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, to the IJ in Amsterdam. Annually, the r ...

beers.

Education and environment

Burundi has the

University of Burundi The University of Burundi (french: Université du Burundi, or UB) is a public university located in Bujumbura, Burundi. Founded in 1964, it comprises eight faculties and five institutes and has a student enrollment of approximately 13,000. It is ...

. There are several museums in the cities, such as the Burundi Geological Museum in Bujumbura and the Burundi National Museum and the Burundi Museum of Life in Gitega. Adult literacy is at about half among men and about a quarter among women. There are several wildlife and nature preserves, and the southern town of

Rutana Rutana is a town in southern Burundi. It lies west of Mount Kikizi, one of the highest mountains in the nation. The Kagera Falls lie near the town. It is the capital of Rutana Province, one of the 18 provinces of Burundi Burundi (, ), ...

contains a monument to the source of the Nile River.

References

External links

Canadian Cultural Profiles Project, Burundi

Lonely Planet: Burundi

{{Africa in topic, Culture of Burundian culture