Sayings of Burundian Origin
Wherever Burundi points the finger, a house is built.
Don’t tell any more fairy tales when the child has gone to sleep.
The reception has more value than the invitation.
A night without roosters will still end.
A mother’s wrath does not survive the night.
Without effort no harvest will be abundant.
A mother’s behind sins when it sits down.
A tree is straightened while it is still young.
Too many words blacken your ears.
Dogs don’t love people; they love the place where they are fed.
Failure to bring up correctly your child leads to being insulted by the sons-in-law.
He who is not careful gets contaminated.
Free things decrease one’s intelligence.
When others have received, you may still receive, because God is always present.
From the word of an elder is derived a bone.
When an enemy digs a grave for you, God gives you an emergency exit.
Water aid does not remove completely the dirt.
Where there is love there is no darkness.
The unlucky man’s hope prevented him from committing suicide.
The night does not last until the good season.
When you stay with a careless person, you end up becoming careless just like him.
If you are dancing with your rivals, don’t close your eyes.
Better to kiss an ugly woman than to lick yourself.
You don’t look upwards at a tree that you know you are not supposed to climb.
Where there is no jealousy a small hare’s leather is enough to cover four people.
The lazy one is pregnant in the sowing season.
It is easy to pull a thorn out of someone else’s skin.
A rich man who does not know himself is worth less than a poor man who does.
The best trees grow on the steepest hills.
He who loves everything dies of it.
Where there is peace, a sickle can be used to shave your beard or cut your hair.
When the master of the house tells a lie, and then offers him a chair.
If you are building a house and a nail breaks, do you stop building, or do you change the nail?
An elephant does not get tired carrying his trunk.
In a court of fowls, the cockroach never wins his case.
A woman does not sit on her toes unless she wants to develop two careers.
A fence does not enter another.
A bird cannot know where the sorghum is ready (to eat) unless it flies.
The crowd does not lie.
If a young woman says no to marriage just wait until her breasts sag.
You cannot hide the smoke of the hut you set on fire.
The fetus that is afraid of criticism is never born.
Nobody mourns an unnoticed death.
God gives, but he doesn’t sell.
You don’t tie up your goat on a bad goat.
When the leopard is away, his cubs are eaten.
You set the trap after the rat has passed.
Morning will still come with or without the crowing of the rooster.
Two lightning flashes cannot come from one cloud.
the Republic of Burundi
Burundi, is a landlocked country in the African Great Lakes region of East Africa, bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. It is also sometimes considered part of Central Africa. Although the country is landlocked, much of the southwestern border is adjacent to Lake Tanganyika.
The capitalof Burundi is Bujumbura. It is the largest city, and main port of Burundi.It ships most of the country’s chief export, coffee, as well as cotton, skins, and tin ore. It is on the northeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, the second deepest lake in the world after Lake Baikal.
The official languages of Burundi are Kirundi and French. Swahili is also spoken. Education for deaf individuals uses American Sign Language, introduced by the deaf American missionary Andrew Foster. No other languages are spoken natively in any significant numbers.
(An excerpt from Wikipedia)
The national anthem of Burundi is: Our Burundi(Burundi Bwacu).
Burundian National Anthem ( English Lyrics):
Our Burundi, gentle country,
Take your place in the concert of nations,
Acceding to independence with honourable intentions.
Wounded and bruised, you have remained master of yourself.
When the hour came, you arose,
Lifting yourself proudly into the ranks of free peoples.
Receive, then, the congratulations of the nations
And the homage of your sons and daughters.
May your name ring out through the universe.
Our Burundi, sacred heritage from our forefathers,
Recognized as worthy of self-government,
With your courage you also have a sense of honour.
Sing the glory of liberty conquered again.
Our Burundi, worthy of our tenderest love,
We vow to your noble service our hands and hearts and lives.
May God, who gave you to us, keep you for us to venerate,
Under the shield of unity,
In peace, joy and prosperity.