A Burundian culture troupe with their traditional drums at a past function. PHOTO FILE | NATION
Burundi's president, Pierre Nkurunziza, has introduced strict
controls over the country's renowned drumming rituals, banning female
drummers and limiting the sacred tradition to official events.
"It
is strictly forbidden to those of the female sex to beat drums. They
can however carry out female folk dances accompanying the drums," read a
decree seen by AFP Thursday, that was signed late last month.
All
groups seeking to perform "cultural shows" must from now on register
with the ministry of culture and are not allowed to perform outside of
official ceremonies without authorisation from the ministry.
Burundi's
ritual dance of the royal drums was in 2014 placed on UNESCO's
Intangible Cultural Heritage list, which describes it as "a spectacle
combining powerful, synchronised drumming with dancing, heroic poetry
and traditional songs."
It says the "entire population of Burundi recognises it as a fundamental part of its heritage and identity."
Today,
the drums are played for entertainment: but for centuries they were a
sacred rite, symbolic of a united kingdom - a powerful memory for a
country whose recent history has been scarred by civil war and political
crisis.
In the country's Kirundi language, the word for drum — "ingoma" — is the same as that for kingdom.
In modern times drumming groups have flourished, performing at weddings, graduation ceremonies and baptisms.
While traditionally a male-dominated field, several female drumming groups have emerged in recent years.
Permission
The
presidential decree, signed on October 20, said that if an organiser
gets permission to have drummers perform at an event, he must pay the
Treasury a fee equivalent to $280.
This figure is to be paid daily if the group performs abroad.
Burundians
on Twitter slammed the decree as an "authoritarian slide" and a "sign
of increasing efforts to control Burundian society".
"This
decree means the drums no longer belong to Burundian citizens but to
the government", said Pacifique Nininahazwe, an exiled civil society
leader.
Last month Burundi's government adopted a plan
to revise the constitution that, if voted in by referendum, would allow
Nkurunziza to serve another two seven-year terms from 2020.
The
country was plunged into crisis when Nkurunziza sought — and went on to
win — a third term in 2015. Between 500 and 2,000 people are estimated
to have died in the ensuing turmoil, according to varying tolls.
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