Ritual dance of the royal drum | |
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Medium | Drumming, dancing and traditional songs |
Originating culture | Culture of Burundi |
Ritual dance of the royal drum | |
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Country | Burundi |
Domains | Performing arts (music) |
Reference | 00989 |
Region | Africa |
Inscription history | |
Inscription | 2014 (9th session) |
List | Representative |
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The Ritual dance of the royal drum is a drumming tradition from Burundi that combines synchronised drumming with dancing and traditional songs.[1][2] In 2014, it was added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. [3]
The dance usually has about a dozen drums, in a semicircle around a central drum. A few of the drummers also dance to the rhythm.[1] In ancient Burundi, drums were sacred objects, reserved only for people performing rituals. The major events of the country were marked by their beating, like coronations and royal funerals.[4]
In 2017, a Presidential decree said that only male performers were to be allowed to play the drums in the future.[5]
Listed as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO since 2014, the ritual dance of the royal drum is "a practice that shows happiness" and a tradition that Burundians hope to preserve and share with the world.
The major events of the country were heralded by their beating — coronations, sovereigns' funerals
This law contains two main restrictions. The first one concerns the restriction of the performance, officially to counter its marketisation. ... The second restricts drumming to men, discriminating against women who can now only perform folk dances to accompany the drums.