Importance of the Encyclopedia of Burundian Music
As with other societies around the world, Burundian music constitutes one of the cultural riches of Burundi. Through music we inform, transform, advise, care, guide, educate... Promoting musical works means making Burundian music immortal.
It is also one of the ways to contribute to the development/change of society. Music is an important tool for bringing people together. It unites them. And where the people are united, the likelihood of change is certain. Without unity, the people end up perishing.
La musique contribue à de nombreuses facettes du développement. Selon les résultats de plusieurs études, la musique favorise une maîtrise plus rapide du langage et de la lecture, une capacité de concentration accrue et aide à développer l'intelligence émotionnelle.
Burundi has never had a music encyclopedia for years. With this project, this encyclopedia will bring together Burundian songs and their authors scattered both on national territory and abroad as well as those who left us prematurely. It will trace the genesis of traditional music and will also classify the types of traditional dances according to the regions of Burundi such as agasimbo, amayaya, umudiho, intore,...
It will be a repertoire of Burundian musical art and will constitute a reliable source of the history of Burundian music for current and future generations of our Burundian society but also a source of research for researchers working in the fields of musical arts.
For this, the establishment of the encyclopedia of Burundian music is more than a necessity. It is an innovative and useful project to honor the country and particularly Burundian musicians who will consider it as a mirror of their musical works. It is also one of the ways to market and promote Burundian music.
The project relating to the establishment of an encyclopedia of Burundian music therefore has the following specific objective: Write and publish an encyclopedia of Burundian music.
Expected results are created as a result of project activities. Together, the results lead to the achievement of the specific objective of the project. The following results are expected from this project:
- The history and genesis of Burundian music are well known
- The musical works and their authors are well known
- Some key musical concepts are explained, hence the dictionary part within this encyclopedic work.
- An encyclopedia of Burundian music containing the possible realities of Burundian music.
LA GENÈDE DE L'EMB
The genesis of the idea of setting up an encyclopedia of Burundian music
The project of writing an Encyclopedia of Burundian Music (EMB) is based on the idea of the Burundian musician Mr. Félicien Minani Nsengiyumva after noting the absence of a repertoire of Burundian musical art, a mirror of artists and of their works. This means that certain works are exploited without knowing their authors or precise references and those whose authors are known risk disappearing even though they constitute an informational source of culture and other Burundian realities. In order to operationalize this project, he created a working framework that is “the Femidejabat Foundation where he joined forces with others to act together so that his idea became a realistic one: that of producing an encyclopedia of Burundian music. He also finds that this project will also constitute a major force in the protection of the works of musical artists.
Project beneficiaries, also called target group or target project beneficiaries, are those who will benefit from the project. These are the people whose situation we want to change by implementing an idea. They can be affected directly or indirectly by the project. The project to establish the musical encyclopedia has as direct beneficiaries:
- All Burundian musical artists
- Burundi which will be endowed once in history with an encyclopedia of Burundian music
- And in a broader (indirect) way, it will be any person who needs information relating to Burundian music.
The official launching ceremonies of the EMB's Editorial and Publication Work took place on January 31, 2018 at Bujumbura Town Hall in the STAR HOTEL premises. They were highlighted by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Mayor of the City of Bujumbura, the Governor of the Province of Bujumbura and the Director of the Burundian Center for Reading and Cultural Animation (CEBULAC). In addition, the President of the Association of Burundian Musicians, many artists from the Provinces of Bujumbura Mairie, Bujumbura, Cibitoke and Bubanza participated in the activities and an exchange session on the collection of EMB data was organized. after the ceremonies.
Le 1er February 2018, a delegation from the FEMIDEJABAT FOUNDATION and CEBULAC went to the South Region where it met the Representatives of musicians and the Managers of the Reading and Cultural Animation Centers “CLACs” of the Makamba, Bururi, Rutana Provinces and Rumonge in the capital of Makamba Province. This session was enhanced by the Governor of Makamba Mr. Gad Niyukuri.
The activities of the official launch of the EMB continued on February 2, 2018. The delegation first brought together the Representatives of Musicians and CLACs from the Central and Eastern Provinces of the country: Cankuzo, Gitega, Karusi, Muramvya, Mwaro and Ruyigi. The meeting took place in the capital of the Gitega province. The administrative authorities of these localities were represented by the Cultural Advisor to the Governor of Gitega Province.
The same day, February 2, 2018, the delegation continued on its way to the capital of Ngozi Province where it met the Representatives of Musicians and CLACs from the Northern Region from the Provinces of Ngozi, Kayanza, Kirundo and Muyinga. Before this meeting, the delegation, accompanied by the inhabitants of Ngozi and under the authority of the Cultural Advisor to the Governor of the Province of Ngozi, visited the mother of the famous singer CANCO Amisi. A delegation led by the Provincial Representative in the Province of NGOZI visited him for the second time on June 24, 2018 to assess the needs in the context of the rehabilitation of his home and an estimate was produced.
At the end of the day, the delegation met the participants in this meeting at the Ku Gasaka Stadium in Ngozi where it was also due to hold a major music concert which, unfortunately, did not take place for reasons not independent of his own will.
In general, wherever the activities of the official launch of the EMB took place, the message was almost the same: inform them of the beginning of the work on writing the Encyclopedia of Burundian Music "EMB" which will constitute a repertoire of all musicians Burundians including those who are no longer alive. As for musicians living abroad, data collection will be done in collaboration with the Burundian Diaspora Association and the Organization called “ Unison of Artists from Burundi and the Diaspora, UNABUDI-INYENYERI Z’UBURUNDI KW’ISI YOSE”, she also initiated by Mr. Félicien MINANI NSENGIYUMVA, the General Administrator of the FEMIDEJABAT FOUNDATION. UNABUDI-INYENYERI Z'UBURUNDI KW'ISI YOSE was approved on 05/28/2019 by Ministerial Order No. 530/983 of the Minister of the Interior, Community Development and Public Security (See copy in appendix).
On 06/02/2018, the General Administrator of the FEMIDEJABAT Foundation was received in audience by His Excellency the late Pierre NKURUNZIZA, former President of the Republic of Burundi at the Presidential Palace in Bujumbura. Their interview focused on the project of writing and publishing the Encyclopedia of Burundian Music. During this audience, His Excellency the President of the Republic renewed the Government's support for the activities of the Foundation through a Partnership which will be concluded between the FEMIDEJABAT FOUNDATION and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.
Continuing the activities of the official launch of the EMB, a mixed delegation composed of Representatives of the Foundation and CEBULAC were received in audience by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture on the same date of 06/ 0/2018. The audience focused in particular on the importance of the EMB in the promotion of Burundian culture in general and Burundian music in particular.
- All Burundian musical artists
- Burundi which will be endowed once in history with an encyclopedia of Burundian music
- And in a broader (indirect) way, it will be any person who needs information relating to Burundian music.
A Partnership Agreement within the framework of the Encyclopedia of Burundian Music and other activities promoting Burundian culture between the Femidejabat Foundation and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture was concluded on 05/21 /2019. This agreement was renewed on 1er March 2022 by the Minister of East African Community Affairs, Youth, Sports and Culture represented by Amb. Dr. Ezekiel NIBIGIRA. Another Partnership Agreement in the same framework was signed on June 26, 2023 between the Femidejabat Foundation and the Burundian Diaspora Association represented by its President Mr. Eric NIRAGIRA. The Femidejabat Foundation concluded a 3rd Partnership Agreement still within the same framework of the writing and publication of the Encyclopedia of Burundian Music with the Association of Musicians of Burundi chaired by Mr. Olvier Bright NDAYISHIMIYE on July 10, 2023 . Remember that the work of l’Encyclopédie de la Musique Burundaise are supported by l’Office Burundais du Droit d'Auteur et des Droits Voisins (OBDA). Works registered with the EMB will be protected by the OBDA.
WHO ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE SCIENTIFIC EDITORIAL COMMITTEE OF THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BURUNDIAN MUSIC?
In continuing the process of drafting and publishing the EMB, in addition to the partnership agreement cited above, we received authorizations to carry out activities on the ground from the Ministry of Eastern Community Affairs. Africa, Youth, Sports and Culture and the Ministry of the Interior, Community Development and Public Security respectively on 06/9/2019 and 30/9/2019.
In addition, data collection and processing software has also been implemented.
Within the same framework of the EMB, on 7/22/2021, the General Administrator of the Femidejabat Foundation was received in audience by Mr. Jean Claude Karerwa Ndenzako, Head of the Political Office and Socio-Cultural Affairs KWA NTARE.
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