Leader: Belgian colonialism destroyed Burundi's national cultural values

Belgian colonialism completely destroyed Burundi's national and cultural values, according to Jean-Marie Nibizi, founder and executive director of Burundi's SHINE (Solidarity, Harmony, Integration, Neighborhood, and Equality) organization and a conflict resolution expert, Report informs.

Speaking at the international conference under the theme Belgian Colonialism: Acknowledgement and Responsibility, held in Baku on October 31, the official underscored that during the colonial period, even people's names were forcibly changed: "Our people couldn't name their children freely. They also destroyed our traditional clothing. We have a concept called 'iniqali.' 'Iniqali nenekufi' refers to proverbs and sayings rooted in our culture. They also wiped out traditions we call 'litito'-storytelling customs accompanied by songs. These tales, enriched with melodies, passed deep life lessons from generation to generation. Yes, colonialism brought us these tragedies."

Nibizi also highlighted that Burundi's tradition known as "Samandari" was completely eradicated: "This was a collection of expressions similar to proverbs, but each one encapsulated the wisdom of an entire life in a single sentence. These were life lessons often delivered with humor. But all of this was destroyed. Researchers are astonished when studying this cultural heritage, as some aspects resemble European frontier literature-even though these communities had no contact with Europe at the time. Yet today, we no longer share these stories with our children or pass on these values. Instead, we tell them European tales."

The organization leader also warned of a current "delayed explosion effect" threatening the region: "Certain regional alliances are intensifying this situation. For example, what I call the ‘small alliance'-cooperation between Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. Kenya continues to support certain armed groups, which creates a war-like atmosphere among neighboring countries such as Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi. The long-standing conflict in eastern Congo remains unresolved and continues to claim thousands of lives. The president and government classify these events as genocide."