By Kudra Maliro
During important national celebrations, people honour the nation by wearing clothing, chains, and head drums that feature the colours of the Burundi national flag.
Oscar Nshirimimana, 46, started working as a drummer when he was a teenager. This was shortly after his father, a drummer by trade, moved to Gishora town, located approximately seven kilometres north of the city Gitega, in the Gitega province of Burundi.
"Thirty seven drummers under my direction range in age from seven to eighty. Also, there is an elderly drummer who no longer has any teeth in his mouth,” Nshirimana told TRT Afrika.
Most drummers in Burundi learned how to play drums from their ancestors. As a result, these drums are prominently featured in the nation's unique ceremonies. However, drums are not customary during Burundi's wedding or funeral ceremonies.
"We play the drums during Burundi's independence ceremony and while heads of state are visiting, and we've also been requested to perform at several festivals worldwide," Nshirimimana said.
In Burundi, just as in the past, the profession of a drummer is often passed down from father to son. The songs of the drumming groups, whether amateur or professional, honour and remember Burundi's history and the heroism of the kingdom's monarchs.
Several Burundians interviewed by TRT Afrika expressed pride at how the Drummers promoted Burundi to the outside world by donning clothing, painting drums, and wearing necklaces with the country's image.
"Due to the proximity of my hometown to the commune of Gishora, I have known this group since I was ten years old," says Felix Kwizera.
Kwizera claims these "drummers from Gishora represent an emblem of Burundian culture, especially because Burundian drums are a UNESCO World Heritage".
The government of Burundi has restricted the exploitation of its drums at the national and international levels since 2017 to safeguard them. They are listed as intangible cultural assets by UNESCO.
The income is available in a variety of drum categories. For example, Deity Karyenda was a drummer. Until his removal in the early 1930s, he was one of two dynastic drums signifying the monarchy's legitimacy.
In Burundian cosmogony, he represented the creation of the cosmos and space-time. Until the start of Belgian colonialism, this was a grand occasion marked by the Umuganuro, the sorghum sowing festival.
"The Gishora drummers are the pride of Burundi," according to Ezéchiel Nibigira, Minister of Culture of Burundi; he added that" The government will assist the drummers if necessary".
"Many visitors come to Burundi to observe these drummers, and they like it. So we will launch the project to play the drums for the tourists to attract them to Burundi," added M Nibigira.
