Burundi National Anthem
Burundi Bwacu
Our Burundi
1962
1962
Jean-Baptiste Ntahokaja
Marc Barengayabo
🏺 Ancestors / Heritage 🤝 Unity ✝ God / Faith ☮ Peace 💪 Resilience |
Key Facts
- 1. The anthem's composer, Marc Barengayabo, was a Catholic seminarian and musician who blended Western choral harmonies with traditional Burundian drumming rhythms.
- 2. Burundi's royal drummers (the 'Karyenda') traditionally performed before any national ceremony; the anthem was designed to follow their drumming introduction.
- 3. The anthem is sometimes performed alongside Burundi's famous Royal Drummers of Burundi, whose UNESCO-recognized performances have toured internationally since the 1960s.
Burundi National Anthem Lyrics
Burundi Bwacu
Burundi Buhire
Shinga icumu mu mashinga
Gaba intahe y'ubugabo kubugingo.
Warapfunywe ntiwapfuye,
Warahabishijwe ntiwahababuka.
Uhagurukana,
Uhagurukana,
Uhagurukana ubugabo urikukira,
Ukomerwa amashi n'amakungu,
Uhabw' impundu n'abawe
Isamirane mu mashinga. (bis)
Burundi bwacu ragi rya basokuru
Ramutswa intahe n'ibihugu
Ufatanije ishaka n'ubuhizi.
Vuza impundu
Wiganzuye uwakuganza. (bis)
Burundi bwacu,
Nkora mutima kuri twese
Tugutuye amaboko, umutima n'ubuzima
Imana yakuduhaye ikudutungire.
Horana ubumwe n'abagabo n'itekane.
Sagwa n'urweze
Sagwa n'amahoro meza.
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialAdopted when Burundi gained independence from Belgium in 1962. Written in Kirundi, one of the few African national anthems in the country's indigenous language rather than a colonial language. Burundi and neighboring Rwanda share deep cultural and linguistic ties, and both gained independence in the same year from the same colonial power.
Learn More
Sources & References
- National Symbols . Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Development Cooperation of Burundi
Source & Review
- Source status
- Official source verified
- Translation
- AI-assisted working translation
- Rights status
- Third-party rights may apply
- Last reviewed
- Editorial review
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Editorial owner
- Nationalia
- Report a correction
- rights@nationalia.org