GITEGA, BUJUMBURA, BUBANZA, KARUSI, KAYANZA, MAKAMBA, RUYIGI February 8th (ABP) – The Burundians celebrated, on Saturday February 5, 2021, the 31st anniversary of the adoption of the national unity charter.
In Gitega province (center of the country) the ceremonies marking the celebration of the 31st anniversary of the adoption of the national unity charter were led by the Vice-President of the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Prosper Bazombanza.
In his speech for the occasion, Mr. Bazombanza called on the Burundian people to maintain national unity in order to be able to carry out the projects for the year 2022 dedicated, at the national level, to agriculture. National unity led Burundi to throw off the colonial yoke, led by the hero of national independence, Prince Louis Rwagasore, he explained.
He added that unity is an ancestral value which has enabled the weaving of asocial bonds, solidarity during happy or unhappy moments and the fight against the enemies of the nation.
He expressed regret against the colonizers for having invented ethnicism, meaning that their primary objective was none other than to divide the Burundians in order to better reign over them. Thus, he issued recommendations to the various social groups with a view to safeguarding national unity.
To the executives of the State, he asked to do battle with any behavior that could harm national unity, among others corruption, injustice, regionalism, jealousy, discrimination and selfishness, arguing that those evils lead to the erosion of national cohesion.
To the parents, he asked to properly educate their offspring towards patriotism. As for children, the Vice-President of the Republic recommended scrupulously following the advice of adults so as not to fall into perverse behavior.
To the people, he asked to maintain solidarity, mutual respect and hard work to engage Burundi on the path of development.
The ceremonies began with an ecumenical prayer followed by the laying of wreaths on the monument of national unity and saw the participation of parliamentarians, members of the government, senior government officials, ambassadors accredited to Burundi, officials of state and parastatal services and the people of the city of Gitega and its outskirts.
In Bujumbura province (western Burundi), the day’s ceremonies at the provincial level took place in the capital of Mutimbuzi commune.
The governor of this province Mr. Désiré Nsengiyumva indicated in his speech that the day of February 5 reminds us that Burundians have decided to turn the page now to put an end to chicanery and commit to living together hand in hand in the house, but this respite did not last long because a few years later, the Burundians killed each other.
Currently, he continued, we have understood that we absolutely must live together as brothers and sisters because God created us in his image. However, launched Mr. Nsengiyumva, there is another form of division which holds on the regional origin, religious or other, which must be banished. He warned the lazy people who spend all the time on social networks to spread rumors, pointing out that these people have no place in Bujumbura province.
He took that opportunity to invite them to join others in development work, to join cooperatives as recommended by the responsible and industrious government.
The governor of Bujumbura province called on officials at all levels to good governance, stressing that there is poor management of public affairs and corruption in certain services. According to him, the fight against divisions of all kinds is a struggle for everyone that must be perpetual, taking advantage of that opportunity to call on everyone to contribute in the fight against any form of division and where it comes from.
In Bubanza province (north-west of Burundi), the festivities took place in the provincial capital where the population of all the 5 communes making up the province had met, and were hosted by the governor of Bubanza province, Cleophas Nizigiyimana. And Only 2 political parties, namely the CNDD-FDD and the CNL laid their wreaths at the monument of unity, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
In his speech, the governor of Bubanza province called on local residents to safeguard the unity which, according to him, is a reality in Bubanza province. He also asks them to overcome their differences, to banish all forms of division and to remain united, by acting as one man in the implementation of their development projects. The appeal to civil servants of the various services is to serve as a good reference in the increase of agricultural production.
Note that the festivities began with a prayer at Christ the King Cathedral in Bubanza.
In Karusi province, the commemoration of the feast of unity took place at the place of unity, after the mass and the laying of wreaths successively by the representatives of the administration, the CNDD-FDD parties, APDR and UPRONA.
Mrs. Calinie Mbarushimana provincial governor pointed out that the massive and effective membership in the Sangwe cooperatives which are in all the villages is an asset to social cohesion and a sign of national unity.
She recalled that the charter of unity is an eloquent sign of a dark past that Burundi has experienced. Repeated crises motivated by ethnic and regional divisions have bereaved the country, which forced the government to set up the truth and reconciliation commission as a remedy, believes Ms. Mbarushimana. Another solution of great importance is the policy of creating and financing Sangwe cooperatives, she said. It is an opportunity to gather and work together and above all to share the harvest, a process that promotes social cohesion according to the governor of the province Karusi. She took the opportunity to invite the population to prepare for growing season B and to prevent the Corona virus pandemic.
In Kayanza province (north), the festivities relating to the 31st anniversary of the national unity charter were opened with a mass celebrated at the parish of Christ Roi located in the capital of Kayanza province. They continued with the laying of wreaths at the independence monument. The heads of both communal and provincial services as well as communal administrators were present at these ceremonies.
In his speech for the occasion, the Governor of Kayanza, Colonel Rémy Cishahayo, indicated that it is time to look back on the dark past that the country has known. For him, we must learn a lesson from it so as not to fall back into it. Thus, he asked the people of Kayanza to be characterized by unity, solidarity and the spirit of cooperative work because, according to him, th0se cooperatives will help to root the unity of Burundians.
In Makamba province, the festivities were enhanced by the provincial governor in the company of department heads. Governor of Makamba Mrs. Françoise Ngozirazana indicated that unity is a reality in Burundi, which is why the step taken in development is satisfactory. She added that it was through unity that our ancestors were able to fight the enemies of Burundi.
She called on the people to redouble their efforts to develop further, by joining together in cooperatives with the aim of empowering their families, while making it clear that peace and security are the bedrock of all development.
She also asked parents to inculcate Burundian manners and customs in their children, reminding the people to strengthen families by respecting the code of persons and families, to fight those who want to practice polygamy and other evils that haunt families.
In Ruyigi province, ceremonies for the celebration of the 31st anniversary of the unit took place in the headquarters of the commune and province Ruyigi. The governor of the province Mrs. Emérencienne Tabu calls on the population of Ruyigi to make their unity an inclusive development capital by overcoming their differences. She also calls on them to continue their preventive fight against covid-19, which is still a reality in her province despite the significant drop in contamination numbers.