-
Make a real difference...
-
to communities across Africa.
-
Share skills and knowledge...
-
and sponsor children...
-
to develop a better future
-
...and change lives forever!
Drumming in Burundi is more than just the art of creating
music with drums, for in Burundi drumming is a great honour,
even more so for someone to beat the drums for you and drummers
there wear the national colours of red for love of Burundi,
green for hope and white for peace. Drumming in Burundi
signifies the pride of the nation; "You don't listen to these
drums with your ears, you listen with your heartbeat." The drums are made
from tree trunks, hollowed out with animal skin stretched tight over them, and
are called 'karyenda'. They represent traditions going back centuries,
particularly the rule of the Burundi monarch and the harvest, and provide a rich
and powerful experience when played as demonstrated in the video (below) with the drums themselves when played with full vigour sounding like thunderclaps. Organisations such as UNICEF and other NGOs have used the
tradition of Burundi drumming to help heal the ethnic divisions
that erupted into Burundi's savage civil war. By getting
children to play the drums as part of a team they are showing
that by working together much can be achieved whilst
simultaneously celebrating the country's heritage. The sound
and power of the drumming also served to promote the person as a
drummer rather than a person of Hutu or Tutsi ethnicity.
If you are interested in the heritage and culture of Burundi
Drumming the Gishora Drums
Sanctuary just four miles outside Burundi's new capital city of Gitega
is well worth a visit. The sanctuary was opened in 1989 and commemorates an event in
1900 when King Mwezi IV Gisabo of Burundi (1840 - 1908) fled
usurpers who had sided with the Germans after their occupation
of the country and hid in Gishora. In his will he left two drums that he had made from cow skin to
the people who had helped him and today the Drums Sanctuary offers
exhibitions of dancing and drumming by the very descendants of those who
had helped the king. The site is currently on the UNESCO World Heritage
Tentative List.
Burundi music
itself has a rich earthy sound and has been used by the likes of Malcolm McLaren to pioneer the early Adam and the Ants sound. It has
been claimed that every Burundian is a musician at heart with a
soul likened to a taut string that vibrates at the slightest
breeze. Music flows very naturally in Burundi especially at
family gatherings when song erupts spontaneously and all those
present join in the 'uruvyino' or mass singing and hand clapping
and dancing soon follows. The video (below) featuring Burundi music is typical of the style of
music, fresh and real without the structure associated with much
western music. The music's lyrics normally reflects what's on
the mind of the singers as they perform and drum, making it
music from the heart and soul. Traditional Burundi music,
especially that from the old Kingdom, is both very simple but
simultaneously mesmerising. Music from Burundi gained wider exposure in part due to the
conflict there as many Burundi people fled to Belgium who ran
the colony in colonial times. Burundi Belgian musicians such as
Khadja Nin, a former member of the Burundi Bujumbura choir, and
Ciza Muhira have released critically acclaimed albums.
Burundi Drumming: Volunteer in Burundi
|
Burundi Drumming: Burundi Countryside
|
Burundi Drumming: Child Sponsor Burundi
|
Burundi Drumming: Burundi Country Profile
|
|
Details of current volunteer work
opportunities in each of the
countries of Africa.
Find how to sponsor a child in Africa
with our list of organisations,
charities, programs and projects.
Discover all about Africa, its tourist
attractions, history, people, culture
and daily life there.
