In Burundi, the day is unemployed and paid, for June 8 is now the national day of patriotism and the celebration of Pierre Nkurunziza’s death just a year ago. The anniversary of his disappearance therefore extends the list of feast days on the state’s official calendar and this causes controversy.
The festivities have taken place this morning in Gitega, the new capital of Burundi, where the body of Pierre Nkurunziza lies. They take place in front of the huge funeral monument erected around his grave.
The highest Burundian officials were present at the site and wore the same canvas with the image of the late president, with Tanzania’s vice president, Phillip Mpango, as the guest of honor.
Prayers, songs in honor of Pierre Nkurunziza and speeches followed each other, culminating in his successor, General Evariste Ndayishimiye, who justified his posthumous rise to the rank of “Supreme Guide of Patriotism”, describing him as the man who “conquered ethnic divisions and permanently installed democracy in Burundi”.
The absence of the main Burundian opponent, Agathon Rwasa, was noted in particular. The historic leader of the CNLa party refused to attend this memorial day. But this opposition from within has a low profile, because “the repression is still fierce, even though it has diminished in intensity today”, explains a deputy from the largest opposition party.
This is not the case with the opposition and the society in exile that stands up against this marking. For their part, they therefore decided to celebrate this day “the day of the victims of the 15 years of the Nkurunziza dictatorship” by publishing hundreds of photos of the victims of the 2015 crisis on social networks.
This triggered an unequivocal reaction from President Ndayishimiye to who “those who do not celebrate Pierre Nkurunziza today are the devil’s craftsmen”.
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