As in Rwanda, Tutsi and Hutu are the principal ethnic communities, with the Hutu constituting the overwhelming majority and the Tutsi a significant minority. Other groups include the Twa Pygmies, the descendants of the princely families (ganwa), and a sprinkling of Swahili-speaking peoples from Tanzania and Congo. Popular images of Tutsi as uniformly tall and graceful and of Hutu as short and stocky do not fit the reality of physical variations. A more meaningful distinction refers to ethnoregional identities, as between Tutsi-Hima, in the southern province of Bururi, and Tutsi-Banyaruguru, found primarily in the north. The former constitute the bulk of the armed forces.
The Hutu and Tutsi have long viewed each other with mutual dislike, mistrust, and fear. Throughout Burundi's colonial history, various European groups exploited these ethnic differences as a means of keeping the two groups at odds. Regardless of how or why these distinctions arose, they have resulted in continued violence and bloodshed.
In the early 14th century, the Hutu arrived, probably from the Congo Basin, and imposed their language and customs on the Twa, who are believed to be Burundi’s original inhabitants. The development of an organized kingdom began in the 15th century, when the Tutsi, probably migrating from the north, established themselves as feudal rulers. Tutsi kings, or mwamis, became monarchs of distinct kingdoms in Burundi and Rwanda.
Their rule was enforced by chiefs and subchiefs, who each ruled an umusozi, a fiefdom consisting of a single hill. Political and economic relations were based on an unequal feudal relationship, known as the ubugabire system, in which most Hutu became serfs subjugated by and economically dependent on the Tutsi. However, Burundi’s economic and sociopolitical structures were not as rigid as those of Rwanda. The power of the mwami was not absolute, and various princely leaders, known as ganwa, often vied for the throne. Unlike in Rwanda, marriages between Hutu and Tutsi were common in Burundi.
The origins of the Burundi monarchy are shrouded in legend. According to one set of traditions, Ntare Rushatsi, the founder of the original dynasty, came from Rwanda in the 17th century; a more reliable source suggests that Ntare must have come from Buha, in the southeast, and laid the foundation of the original kingdom in the neighbouring Nkoma region.
The richness of Burundian culture is apparent in a strong literary and musical tradition and a wide range of fine crafts. Little government funding for cultural activities is available. However, an art school at Gitega and an artisans’ center at Giheta have done much to encourage artistic expression and preservation. The major libraries are at the University of Burundi, the American Cultural Center, and the French Cultural Center in Bujumbura and the Burundi Literature Center in Gitega. The most important museums are Bujumbura’s Living Museum (founded in 1977) and the National Museum (founded in 1955) in Gitega.
Much of Burundi's rich cultural heritage, most notably folk songs and dances, was intended to extol the virtues of kingship; however, since the fall of the monarchy in 1966 (and particularly after a massacre of Hutu in 1972), such cultural expression has waned. The annual sorghum festival (umuganuro) was once the occasion for a magnificent display of traditional dances by court dancers (intore), with the Karyenda (sacred drum), an emblem of the monarchy, intended to give both musical and symbolic resonance to the ceremony.
The Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Sports promotes both traditional and modern sports in Burundi. Traditional activities such as drumming and dancing are social customs and competitive sports. The Intore Dancers, a group that celebrates national folklore, has won numerous international folk dance competitions, and drummers compete with large, traditional Karyenda drums. Track is the competitive sport in which Burundi excels. Notable athletes include Dieudonne Kwizera and Vénuste Niyongabo; both competed in the 1996 Olympic Games, with Niyongabo winning the gold medal in the 5,000 metres, the first Olympic medal for Burundi.
Burundi's topography is the prolongation of a chain of mountains and high plateaus of ancient Precambrian rock forming the eastern flank of the Western Rift Valley. These rise to 9,055 feet (2,760 metres) at Mount Heha, the country's highest point. In the northwest the narrow Imbo valley extends southward from Rwanda to Lake Tanganyika and includes the Rusizi (Ruzizi) River, which separates Burundi from Congo. Farther south and west, along the shores of Lake Tanganyika, the land rises steeply to form part of the Congo-Nile divide, which in places reaches elevations of 8,500 feet (2,600 metres). To the east of the divide, plateaus slope gently to elevations of 5,000-6,000 feet (1,500-2,000 metres) to the southeast; the Ruvyironza River flows northeast, cutting through the plateaus. A few valleys and shallow lakes occupy the northern frontier near Rwanda.
Savanna vegetation (grassland interspersed with trees) predominates in most of the country. Eucalyptus, acacia, and oil palm are the most common trees. Forests, once extensive, are now concentrated in national parks and nature reserves. The diverse wildlife is limited by dense human settlement and includes elephants, leopards, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, wild boars, antelope, monkeys, and flying lemurs. Birds, such as guinea hens, partridges, ducks, geese, quail, and snipe are particularly plentiful around the northeastern lakes.
One of the world’s poorest nations, Burundi has a predominantly agricultural economy. The country’s estimated gross domestic product (GDP) was $0.7 billion in 1999. Export earnings are dominated by a single crop: coffee. National budget figures for 1998 showed a large deficit, with $148 million in revenues and $219 million in expenditures. The government and foreign companies dominate the export sector of the economy. Burundi is heavily dependent on foreign aid, principally from Western Europe. Past austerity measures have added to ethnic tensions. In turn, ethnic and political instability has severely affected Burundi’s production capacity. Burundi’s labor force numbers 3.6 million people, of which 15 percent are engaged in agriculture, 22 percent in industry, and 59 percent in services.
Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantly agricultural with roughly 90% of the population dependent on subsistence agriculture. Its economic health depends on the coffee crop, which accounts for 80% of foreign exchange earnings. The ability to pay for imports therefore rests largely on the vagaries of the climate and the international coffee market. Since October 1993 the nation has suffered from massive ethnic-based violence which has resulted in the death of perhaps 250,000 persons and the displacement of about 800,000 others. Only one in four children go to school, and one in nine adults has HIV/AIDS. Foods, medicines, and electricity remain in short supply.
By the late 1990s more than three-fifths of the country's population was living in poverty, a result of civil strife and the ravages of war, the predominance of traditional subsistence agriculture, the persistence of low income levels, chronic deficits in the balance of trade, and heavy dependence on foreign aid. Western nations and surrounding African countries imposed economic sanctions against Burundi following a Tutsi-led military coup in July 1996, which affected all of Burundi's exports and its oil imports. Some of the sanctions were eased in April 1997, and a regional embargo was lifted in April 1999, but the process of economic recovery has been slow.
Primitive system
domestic: sparse system of open wire, radiotelephone communications, and low-capacity microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat.
The chief ethnic groups are the Hutu and the Tutsi, who traditionally comprised 85 percent and 14 percent of the population, respectively. However, due to Hutu emigration and Tutsi immigration, the politically dominant Tutsi now make up around 20 percent of the population. The Twa, a pygmy group, account for 1 percent. The official languages are Kirundi and French. Swahili is also widely spoken along Lake Tanganyika.
Two national, mainstream governing parties are: Unity for National Progress or UPRONA [Luc RUKINGAMA, president]; Burundi Democratic Front or FRODEBU [Jean MINANI, president]
note: A multiparty system was introduced after 1998, included are: Burundi African Alliance for the Salvation or ABASA [Terrence NSANZE]; Rally for Democracy and Economic and Social Development or RADDES [Joseph NZENZIMANA]; Party for National Redress or PARENA [Jean-Baptiste BAGAZA]; People's Reconciliation Party or PRP [Mathias HITIMANA]
A 1981 constitution established Burundi as a single-party republic with a directly elected president. The nation’s sole legal political party was the Union for National Progress (Union pour le Progrès National, or UPRONA). Following a coup in 1987, the National Assembly was dissolved and the constitution was suspended, as the Military Committee for National Salvation assumed executive and legislative authority. A new constitution adopted in March 1992 introduced a multiparty system, with a directly elected president as head of state, an 81-member National Assembly, and a prime minister (appointed by the president) as head of government. A 1993 constitutional amendment transferred the election of the president to the National Assembly. The constitution was suspended and the National Assembly dissolved after another military coup in July 1996. A transitional constitution was adopted in June 1998 that enlarged the National Assembly to 121 members and replaced the prime minister with two vice-presidents.
International organization Member
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO.
Primary education is free and officially compulsory for children aged 7 through 12, although in 1996 only 49 percent of primary school-age children were in school. Secondary school enrollment was even lower, with 8 percent of secondary school-age children attending school. The literacy rate for Burundi is 64 percent of the population. Attendance and literacy rates are very low due to national instability and shortages of teachers and school supplies. The University of Burundi (founded in 1960) in Bujumbura is the leading institution of higher education.
Military branches: Army (includes naval and air units), paramilitary Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age: 16 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,394,273 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 728,326 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males
None
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