Women sustain communities in Burundi’s Butanyerera
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Yaga Burundi
Illustrative image · Alfred Desiré Nebout · Pexels · Licence PexelsIn Butanyerera, in northern Burundi, women contribute to the running of communities as rural exodus and male migration leave single-parent households. Yaga reports that women outnumber men ten to eight in the province and also recalls women’s historical role in local governance and resistance to Belgian colonial rule.
In Burundi’s Butanyerera province, women play an essential role in community life as rural exodus and male migration reshape households. The general census puts the province at around 88 men for every 100 women, or nearly 47% men and 53% women, Yaga reports.
The disparity is even greater in the rural commune of Muhanga, where there are 81 men for every 100 women. The outlet describes men and boys leaving because of economic hardship, often leaving behind single-parent households.
Despite these departures, Butanyerera’s eight communes and 790 hills continue to provide education for children, healthcare and agricultural production. The province relies in particular on coffee plantations in Kayanza and Ngozi, and on the regional avocado market in Rukeco, whose produce is exported to neighbouring countries.
Yaga’s article also recalls historical examples of Burundian women’s actions, including Inamujandi’s resistance against the Belgians and the Abatimbuzi’s management of communities when their husbands were absent.
