Burundi’s presidential couple leads national thanksgiving crusade to mark five years in power

Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye and First Lady Angéline Ndayubaha have launched a three-day national spiritual celebration in Gitega to mark five years since assuming office, blending religious devotion with deep cultural symbolism in a unique expression of national unity and continuity.

The commemorations began on Wednesday with a solemn mass at Saint-François d’Assise Parish in Magarama, led by Archbishop Bonaventure Nahimana of Gitega.

The event drew political dignitaries, clergy, and citizens in large numbers.

During the service, President Ndayishimiye expressed gratitude to Imana — the supreme spiritual entity in Burundian tradition — for guiding the nation over the past five years.

“This land of milk and honey has been preserved through divine guidance,” declared President Ndayishimiye.

His wife, the First Lady, prayed for continued wisdom and divine support for her husband and the country’s leadership.

Celebrations continued at Ingoma Stadium, where the presidential couple led a symbolic march accompanied by senior officials and Gitega residents.

The stadium, historically steeped in the legacy of Burundian kingship and spiritual tradition, resonated with praise songs and reflective chants, creating a jubilant yet contemplative atmosphere.

Burundi’s cultural roots were a strong current throughout the event.

The celebration emphasized the nation’s sacred identity through the symbolism of the Karyenda — the Sacred Drum — a spiritual and cultural pillar that predates colonial history.

In Burundian cosmology, the Karyenda embodies the universe’s structure, bridging the divine, the ancestral, and the earthly worlds.

The event also served as a reaffirmation of traditional beliefs.

For many Burundians, the unity of spiritual and political leadership, as symbolized by the Mwami (sovereign) and the sacred drum, remains essential to the country’s identity.

In a global context marked by shifting geopolitical alliances, the thanksgiving crusade functioned not only as a spiritual observance but also as a cultural assertion.

It was a vivid call for divine guidance as the nation navigates the next chapter in its evolving democratic and socio-political journey.