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The Burundian Ministry of Youth, Culture and
Sport promotes traditional recreational activities as well as modern
sports. The Ministry has tried to use friendly competition to bring
the country's warring factions together. Soccer (known as football)
has become a national game played throughout the country. Burundi
has competed in several African Nations Cups. Basketball is also
becoming popular.
Burundians excel in track and field events,
especially running and jumping. Burundian students who pursue their
education in foreign countries often represent their universities in
track and field events. Burundian athletes have competed in African
and international games. |
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Favourite pastimes include visiting friends
and relatives, storytelling and poetry recitations. Storytelling can
be in the form of an igitito (chant), which is both entertaining
and educational. The chants tell stories of kings or gods. Among cattle
herders, kivivuga amazina, a poetry contest, is popular. An
individual or a group performs a song, improvised on the spot, describing
his or the group's abilities and accomplishments in exaggerated terms.
The competitors respond with improvised songs, exaggerating even more.
The contest takes place before an audience. Judges determine the winner,
based on the competitor who makes the greatest claims.
When children get together, they like to tell
riddles and play games. The game gusimba ikibariko involves
jumping with a ball. The object of gukina amabuye is to throw
several stones a few feet in the air and catch them all before they
fall to the ground. Horo is a ball game played by girls. Boys
enjoy free-style wrestling. |
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Burundians of all ages play the ancient game of
urubugu, also known as mancala. It can be played with
pebbles or seashells on hollows scooped out on the ground, or with seeds
on expensive, elaborately carved wooden boards. Different versions of
this game are played throughout Africa.
The Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport encourages
groups who perform traditional dancing and drumming. Drumming is a form
of recreation as well as an art and is often part of the entertainment
at gatherings of friends and families. |
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Did you know? |
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Vénuste Niyongabo, who competed in the 1996
Olympic Games, won the gold medal in the 5,000-metre race, the first-ever
Olympic medal for Burundi.
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