Celebrating 60 years of Burundi's independence

On the 2nd of July, we had the opportunity to reconnect and celebrate Burundi’s 60th Independence Day. As Abarundi and Abarundikazi we take great pride in celebrating the 1st of July and honour those who for the freedom of our nation. This year the independence day festivities were held in Corio, Victoria. We recognise and appreciate all those who were in attendance, especially for our people who travelled a distance to make it there.

As an organisation, we were invited by the Australian Burundian Community in Victoria (ABCV) to formally introduce our newly formed organisation to the Burundian community. Members of Iteka Youth arrived early and helped to set up and decorate the hall. Iteka Youth also set up an information desk in the foyer where people could find out more about who we are as an organisation. To make things a little more interesting, we also initiated a game of “ Guess how many lollies are in the Jar”, where contestants had the opportunity to win a hamper. Congratulations to Felix Rwasa for winning the contest.

The atmosphere was that of shared jubilation and joy. Enjoyment was conspicuous amongst both young and old. Infectious smiles and laughter were readily observed, this communal joy gave us great pleasure as an organisation that strives towards uniting our community. We believe that celebrating culture is an imperative medium through which this goal can be achieved.

Club Iteka, an extension of IYO, put on a great performance as always. We thank all the other dancers and drummers, for putting on a fantastic show and helping us celebrate Burundian culture. To the Shepperton choir, thank you for blessing us with your amazing voices as the night was coming to an end.

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed the day. We would like to express our utmost gratitude to the ABCV and the ABCV president Mr Belthrand Habiyakare for the invitation to celebrate our independence as well as for their ongoing support. We also thank Providence, leader of the Shepperton chapter of the ABCV for ensuring that the Burundian community of Shepperton could attend the event. Most importantly, we thank the Corio school council for lending us the venue, without which we could not celebrate, your generosity is well received.

We hope to see everyone soon and hopefully it doesn’t take another 12 months for us to reunite as a community, God willing. Stay tuned for upcoming events.

Written by Shakur Iradukunda