Culture of Burundi

Although referred to as ethnic groups the Hutu, the Tutsi, the Twa, and the Ganwa all share the same culture, language and land.

In Kirundi, the national language of Burundi, these ethnic groups are called miryango, which can be translated to clans or tribe.

[3] Burundi and Rwanda experienced multiple civil wars after their independence, and policies that were put in place by colonizers were kept.

[4] Burundi gained its independence in 1962,[4] but there are still post-colonial institutions present in a variety of traditional cultural and political centers.

French is used by society in private and government institutions for communication, knowledge acquisition, and cultural production.

[7] In 2017, a decree was passed by the government, legally banned women from beating drums as it was explained to be a men's activity, despite the centuries-long tradition of female drum-players in the country.

This combined with the lower literacy rate 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.

[11] Burundian cuisine utilises maize and bananas as staple foods and often contains red kidney beans.