BUJUMBURA April 21st (ABP) – The Minister of National Education and Scientific Research, Mr. François Havyarimana proceeded on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, to the solemn opening of activities relating to the celebration of the International Mother Tongue Day, under the theme “Ikirundi, umushinge w’ubumenyi bushikana Abarundi bose kw’iterambere” (Kirundi, pillar of knowledge leading all Burundians to development), a check by ABP revealed.
In his speech, the minister explained that the celebration of the day is the pride for Burundians who share the same language, which allows them to consolidate culture, education and mores.
To that end, he said that it is an opportunity for everyone to preserve Kirundi, which is a wealth for the country. In addition, Mr. Havyarimana added that language is an essential channel used in acquiring knowledge, good conduct and human rights. “It is an asset for Burundi to have a mother tongue understood by all Burundian citizens”, he underlined.
Taking the floor, the Rector of the University of Burundi, Mr. Sanctus Niragira, specified that the University of Burundi gave great importance to this language while writing many books on Kirundi grammar, culture and literature in Kirundi.
The various presenters revealed the challenges facing the mother tongue: poor reading and writing, substitution of Rundi words by Kinyarwanda and other foreign languages. They proposed that with the Rundi academy, real words should be written and taught in schools for the sustainability of common wealth, Kirundi.