Why Burundi’s women can’t beat traditional ritual drums

Burundi’s ritual dance of the royal drums which in 2014 was placed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, has been segmented by the country’s government as men affair for drum beating while women can do the rhythmic dance.

UNESCO’s cultural heritage is described as “a spectacle combining powerful, synchronised drumming with dancing, heroic poetry and traditional songs.” And the “entire population of Burundi recognises it as a fundamental part of its heritage and identity.”

According to agency reports, Burundi’s president, Pierre Nkurunziza, recently introduced strict controls over the country’s renowned drumming rituals, with a law banning female drummers and limiting the sacred tradition to official events.

The presidential decree, signed on October 20, said that if an organiser gets permission to have drummers perform at an event, he must pay the Treasury a fee equivalent to 245 euros ($280). This figure is to be paid daily if the group performs abroad.

The new decree made available to the agency report read “It is strictly forbidden to those of the female sex to beat drums. They can however carry out female folk dances accompanying the drums,”

All groups seeking to perform “cultural shows”, according to the new law “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”

Meanwhile, before the enactment of the new law, the drums are played for entertainment, yet for centuries, they were sacred rites, symbolic of a united kingdom – a powerful memory for a country whose recent history has been scarred by civil war and political crisis.

In modern times drumming groups have flourished, performing at weddings, graduation ceremonies and baptisms.
While traditionally a male-dominated field, several female drumming groups have emerged in recent years.