Oldonyo Lengai Safaris - BURUNDI
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The original inhabitants of Burundi were the Twa, a Pygmy people who now make up only 1% of the population. Today the population is divided between the Hutu (approximately 85%) and the Tutsi, approximately 14%.
While the Hutu and Tutsi are considered to be two separate ethnic groups, scholars point out that they speak the same language, have a history of intermarriage, and share many cultural characteristics. Traditionally, the differences between the two groups were occupational rather than ethnic.
Agricultural people were considered Hutu, while the cattle-owning elite were identified as Tutsi. In theory, Tutsi were tall and thin, while Hutu were short and square, but in fact it is often impossible to tell one from the other.
The 1933 requirement by the Belgians that everyone carry an identity card indicating tribal ethnicity as Tutsi or Hutu increased the distinction. Since independence, the landowning Tutsi aristocracy has dominated Burundi.
Burundi was once part of German East Africa. Belgium won a League of Nations mandate in 1923, and subsequently Burundi, with Rwanda, was transferred to the status of a United Nations trust territory.
In 1962, Burundi gained independence and became a kingdom under Mwami Mwambutsa IV, a Tutsi. A Hutu rebellion took place in 1965, leading to brutal Tutsi retaliations. Mwambutsa was deposed by his son, Ntaré V, in 1966. Ntaré in turn was overthrown the same year in a military coup by Premier Michel Micombero, also a Tutsi. In 1970–1971, a civil war erupted, leaving more than 100,000 Hutu dead. |
BURUNDI SAFARIS |
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On Nov. 1, 1976, Lt. Col. Jean-Baptiste Bagaza led a coup and assumed the presidency. He suspended the constitution and announced that a 30-member Supreme Revolutionary Council would be the governing body.
In Sept. 1987, Bagaza was overthrown by Maj. Pierre Buyoya, who became president. Ethnic hatred again flared in Aug. 1988, and about 20,000 Hutu were slaughtered. Buyoya, however, began reforms to heal the country's ethnic rift. The Burundi Democracy Front's candidate, Melchior Ndadaye, won the country's first democratic presidential elections, held on June 2, 1993.
Ndadaye, the first Hutu to assume power in Burundi, was killed within months during a coup. The second Hutu president, Cyprien Ntaryamira, was killed on April 6, 1994, when a plane carrying him and the Rwandan president was shot down. As a result, Hutu youth gangs began massacring Tutsi; the Tutsi-controlled army retaliated by killing Hutus.
Burundi is geographically at the heart of Africa but, sadly, has also been at the heart of African horrors in recent years. Here is a country of wonderful landscapes, from mountaintops to forests, huge lakes to tropical plateau.
Burundi's situation is improving. The democratically elected government in 2005, is engaged in peace talks and has announced applauded measures, such as that of introducing free education and tourism promotion.
Burundi things to do with us
Our Company Offer safaris and tours in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Congo, Kenya and Tanzania, Oldonyo Le Ngai safaris is one of the specialists of the region.
We offer three to seven days itineraries. Visitors will be shown the jewels of Burundi by our knowledgeable driver and guide in either a 4X4 vehicle or minibus. Our campany take travellers to Kagera Falls to marvel at the misty waters crashing below, Rusizi National park, where hippos, antelopes and exotic birds reside and to Belvedere a lookout over Lake Tanganyika and Bujumbura.
Travellers will also embark on a city tour of Bujumbura, relax on her idyllic beaches and get some souvenir shopping done in Gitega.
While touring with us in Bujumbura Tourist can Admire the country's diverse flora and fauna, from Savannah to steppers, mountain forests to blooming fields, Including Chutes the source of nile and seduced by the scenic and fun pleasures of Lake Tanganyika, where (in normal circumstances) cafes and restaurants line the lake. Here, there are some opportunities for watersports, including sailing, waterskiing and fishing. |
