Gitega (), formerly Kitega, is the
political capital
Political capital is the term used for an individual's ability to influence political decisions. This capital is built from what the opposition thinks of the politician, so radical politicians will lose capital. Political capital can be understoo ...
of
Burundi
Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Gr ...
. Located in the centre of the country, in the Burundian central plateau
roughly east of
Bujumbura
Bujumbura (; ), formerly Usumbura, is the economic capital, largest city and main port of Burundi. It ships most of the country's chief export, coffee, as well as cotton and tin ore. Bujumbura was formerly the country's normal capital. In lat ...
(the largest city and former political capital), Gitega (the second largest city) was the seat of the
Kingdom of Burundi until its abolition in 1966.
[From 1922 on, Usumbura (now Bujumbura) acted as a second, colonial, administrative and economic capital of the country; it effectively became its only political capital between the abolition of the monarchy in 1966 and January 2019.] In late December 2018, Burundian president
Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would follow on a 2007 promise to return Gitega its former political capital status,
with Bujumbura remaining as economic capital and centre of commerce. A vote in the
Parliament of Burundi made the change official on 16 January 2019, with all branches of government expected to move in over three years.
Geography
Gitega is also the capital of
Gitega Province, one of the eighteen
provinces of Burundi. It is located in the middle of the country, at roughly the same distance between the commercial capital, Bujumbura on
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is the world's longest freshwater lake. T ...
to the west, the
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
n border to the east—both at around —and the
Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
n border, about to the north. It lies on a broad plateau surrounded by hills, a few kilometres southwest of the confluence of the
Ruvyironza and
Rurubu River
The Ruvubu River (also spelt Rurubu and Ruvuvu) is a river in central Africa whose waters gather from the most distant, southern portion of the Nile basin. With a total length of and has a drainage basin of . It rises in the north of Burundi, n ...
s.
Ruvubu National Park, the country's biggest, lies to the east.
History
Gitega was at one time the seat of the
Kingdom of Burundi and remained as capital of the
kings of Burundi (''mwami'') until 1966.
The Germans founded the town of Gitega in 1912 back when Burundi was part of
German East Africa
German East Africa (GEA; german: Deutsch-Ostafrika) was a German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Mo ...
.
In March 2007,
President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza announced that Burundi was planning to bring back its capital city to Gitega, saying that it is in a better location for a capital than Bujumbura.
On 24 December 2018, it was announced by Nkurunziza that Gitega was to become the capital city of Burundi, pending only Parliament approval.
The expected parliamentary assent (given the President's
CNDD-FFD party comfortable majority in both chambers) arrived through a vote on 16 January 2019, with some ministries already starting the move two days later.
On 7 December 2021,
a fire broke out in an overcrowded prison in Gitega, killing at least 38 and injuring more than 69.
Education
The Polytechnic University of Gitega was founded in 2014.
Culture
It is the home of Burundi's
National Museum of Gitega. Several ''
karyenda
The ''karyenda'' is a traditional African drum. It was the main symbol of Burundi and its ''Mwami'' (King) and had semi-divine status. The ''Mwami'' was said to interpret the beatings of the karyenda into rules for the kingdom.
History
...
'' royal drum
sanctuaries are located in the area, as well as the ''
ibwami'' (
royal court
A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...
). On 29 April 1972,
Ntare V of Burundi, the country's last ''
Mwami'' (King), was killed in Gitega.
Places of worship
Among the
places of worship, they are predominantly
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
churches and temples:
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gitega (
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
),
Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi
The Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi (French: Province de l'Église anglicane du Burundi) is a province of the Anglican Communion, located in East Africa between Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, and the Congo. The Archbishop and Primate of Buru ...
(
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
),
Union of Baptist Churches in Burundi (
Baptist World Alliance),
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...
. There are also
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
mosques.
Transportation
Gitega was served by
Gitega Airport, which is now defunct. Gitega is served by four National Roads (''Routes Nationales'', RN): RN2 connects it with Bujumbura through the northwest, via
Muramvya and
Bujumbura Rural provinces. RN15 leads to the north of country, towards
Ngozi and continuing on to
Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
, while passing through the ancient royal court of
Gishora The field of Gishora is located approximately 7 km north of the city of Gitega, in the Gitega Province of Burundi. It houses a royal palace and royal field.
Site Description
Gishora is on the top of the Gishora Hill in the commune of Gihe ...
; RN12, which separates from RN15 on the outskirts of Gitega, heads northeast to serve the provinces of
Karuzi and
Muyinga
Muyinga is a city located in northern Burundi
Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Ri ...
. The last is RN3, which heads towards the southwest towards
Rumonge
Rumonge is the capital of Rumonge Province, Burundi, and is located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the ...
and Lake Tanganyika.
See also
*
Commune of Gitega
Notes
References
Further reading
*
External links
{{Authority control
Gitega Province
Populated places in Burundi
Capitals in Africa
Populated places established in 1912
1912 establishments in German East Africa