Burundi is geographically at the heart of Africa but, sadly, has also been at the heart of African horrors in recent years. Here is a country of wonderful landscapes, from mountaintops to forests, huge lakes to tropical plateau. Yet this topographical patchwork mirrors Burundis cultural patchwork, one which has interwoven both Hutu and Tutsi tribal strands, often with violent consequences.
The agricultural Hutu and Tutsi have occupied Burundi for many centuries. The society was never highly centralised and proved unable to withstand the advances of the Germans during the scramble for Africa in the 19th century. The country subsequently became part of German East Africa. Shuffled around yet again after 1919, Burundi and neighbouring Rwanda were administered by the Belgians. During this time, the Belgians unfortunately demarcated the Hutu and Tutsi tribes further, believing the Tutsis to be superior to the Hutus and bestowing on the Tutsis better jobs and status. When both Burundi and Rwanda gained independence in 1962, Burundi's chronic instability worsened, sporadically flaring up into mass violence and the massacre of tens of thousands, especially in 1972 and 1988 although it has never reached the scale of neighbouring Rwanda, where the same ethnic split prevails.
Politically, Burundi has also been split by several coups. Three occurred between 1966 and1987. President Buyoya seemed to herald positive progression in 1992, with a change of constitution and the introduction of multiparty elections for a National Assembly. Against widespread expectation, the incumbent President Buyoya representing the main Tutsi party was peacefully displaced by Melchior Ndadaye, a Hutu banker who headed the Front for Democracy in Burundi. In October 1993, another military coup was unsuccessful but claimed the life of President Ndadaye. In January 1994, another Hutu, Cyprien Ntaryamira, took over but had an equally short tenure; returning from an overseas trip with Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, he was killed in a plane crash. This was the incident that set off the genocide in Rwanda. Burundi narrowly avoided the same fate, although tensions between Tutsi and Hutu sharply increased and the civil war that followed claimed 300,000 lives in Nelson Mandelas words a slow burning genocide.
Burundis situation is improving. President Nkurunziza, democratically elected in 2005, is engaged in peace talks and has announced applauded measures, such as that of introducing free education. However, there is still a danger of indiscriminate attacks from rebel groups in Burundi. Until these incidents are fully quashed, many will miss out on seeing the beauty of Burundi for themselves. Amongst the debris of human nature at its most vicious, nature itself in Burundi remains gorgeous and tranquil.
There is nothing as pleasantly gratifying as being experimental with themes that are a bit out of the ordinary during your wedding. A pleasantly themed wedding will leave a lasting memory in the mind of your guests and friends and in you as well. It is all in the spirit of being out of the ordinary and a cut above the rest, which leaves no room for your big day to pass as just another wedding.
There are plenty of themes to choose from some ranging from sentimental to symbolism and to outright bizarre. But one theme that you will never go wrong with is a cultural theme. The whole array of global cultures is open before you and it is a matter of choosing one that appeals to you.
One such cultural theme is an African theme. You can have your wedding laced with elements of tribal Africa with hundreds of themes from the hundreds of ethnic groupings from the Cape to the Suez at your behest. Africans in general have an elaborate way of going about marriage and wedding rituals and transporting that to a continent away is a sure clincher. One area that is poignantly African is the involvement of as many people as you can. But this is only if you have the means to cater for all of them. In Africa a whole village shows up at a wedding whether invited or not as it is an unsaid fact that a child belongs to the whole community.
To give your wedding that African touch, spruce up the wedding venue with touches of tropical Africa like paintings of the wild. That out of Africa feeling will transport your guests an ocean away. African gear would also be ideal for the selected theme. For example, straw hats could be customized to match the wedding day attire. And you could go that extra length and wear the free-flowing African kikoy and headgear in matching colors.
When it comes to wedding favors and gifts, exotic curios from Africa are a sure winner. Carvings of elegant animals, picturesque landscape paintings or tribal bracelets will catch your guests unaware and pleasantly surprise them. And when it comes to reception feasting, you have no choice but to be on top of your game. Research on African delicacies and customize them to suit your event.
For example in Kenya, a happy event is not complete without nyama choma {Roast meat.] Goat ribs are a preference. If you are not too sure about African foods, you can have your reception in one of the many African Foods hotels that are mushrooming in most big cities.
Round off a magnificent African-theme wedding with a honey moon in a safari tour. If you have the means, fly out to some exotic location in Africa for a honeymooning holiday. Visit game parks or nature reserves or have some good time in tropical beaches in Mombasa or the Seychelles or Zanzibar or whatever location of your liking. And of course the warmth and the love of the vast continent should manifest through the whole ceremony.
Both Douglas Scott & Jason Hennessey are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Douglas Scott has sinced written about articles on various topics from French Vacation, Travel and Leisure and Family Travel. Douglas Scott works for and is a free lance writer for. Douglas Scott's top article generates over 1000000 views. to your Favourites.
Jason Hennessey has sinced written about articles on various topics from Wedding Theme, Wedding Reception and Wedding Bells. Jason Hennessey is the President and founder of 1weddingsource.com, today's leading so. Jason Hennessey's top article generates over 4090000 views. to your Favourites.