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. Read more on this here.