Language Policy in Burundi

Burundi was a monolingual country until 1896 when other languages were introduced such as Swahili by the Zanzibaris, French by the colonizers and the missionaries who introduced Christianity in the country. Burundi has therefore embraced a multilingual situation since1896. These languages were used based on the needs of the colonial administration and plan. After independence, Burundi’s language policy was defined and applied based on the country’s constitution until 2014. Nowadays, the language policy of Burundi is understood through the Law on the Status of Languages in Burundi of 2014. According to the new constitution, Kirundi, French, and English are official languages of the country while Kiswahili is the language of regional communication. This chapter describes how these languages are used in the daily lives of the people of Burundi. Additionally, Burundi’s membership in regional organizations such as the East African Community has helped shape Burundi’s language planning and policy.