BUJUMBURA, November 7th (ABP) – At a press conference held on Thursday, October 31, 2024, in Bujumbura, Editions Gusoma presented more than 60 new words and expressions in the mother tongue (Kirundi), created during the “Curijambo” campaign, held from July to September 2024, as part of the drive to further enrich Kirundi.
Napoléon Ahishakiye, who was in charge of the 2024 campaign, said it was organized to help preserve Burundi’s linguistic heritage. “Kirundi needs to be enhanced by Burundians themselves, by trying to create new words and expressions in line with current trends in all fields,” he added.
Ahishakiye pointed out that efforts had been made to create over 60 new Kirundi words in seven fields, namely economics, justice, health, sport and art, education, agriculture and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
The words created in the field of economics are: Ndandariza (prescriber), umuranzi (commission agent), igurizo (sales contract), ikirihiriro (invoice), urugusho (advance), umunyamugambi (entrepreneur), ubunyamugambi (entrepreneurship), and icemezandishi (receipt).
In the sector of justice, inyunganirategeko (jurisprudence), indondavyaha (criminal record), indangamavuko (birth certificate), indondoramuntu (complete identity certificate), inyigishomfatiro (doctrine) and ingengangingo (legal proceedings) have been created.
In the field of health, those are Akaryama ka nkende (monkeypox), mu batabarizwa (emergency), amagara ndora gitsina (sexual health), impanamizi (risk factor), ubwandu (infection), isaniro (surgery), isanasana (operation), isuzumwa (consultation), isuzuma ry’ikiziga (autopsy), umwakirizi (midwife), aho bavurira abana (pediatrics), iyakiriro (maternity), inkoranyabuhinga (multidisciplinary).
In the field of sport and art, we have created Umurimbanyi (the artist), uburimbanyi (art), Murimbane (Miss), inganamugani (the novel), indamuragitabu (Editions), umuvamfuruka (the corner), mukorumbone (penalty area), ikinyankumbi (penalty), and agasunuzo (extra time).
In the sector of education, through the “Curijambo” campaign, Editions Gusoma has created amayagwa (literature), inyuramugani (fiction), amayagwa nyabumenyi (literature of thoughts), amayagwa nyuramvugo (oral literature), amayagwa mandikano (written literature), rwemeza (diploma), insahirizi (scholarship), ingurane-nsahirizi (loan-scholarship), igisata (department), iramuriro (faculty), ishembamvugo (poetry), icicaro (examination session), and indangamanota (newsletter).
In the sector of agriculture, Ubuhinga bw’irima (farming practices), urubu rw’irima (farming season), isekeza ry’uburimyi (farming campaign), ikivomeresho (watering can), umuhonyatwononyi (pesticide), uburimyi nzanamafaranga (agribusiness), ifumbire mvaruganda (chemical fertilizer), and ukworekera/iyimisha (grafting).
For the ICT sector, those are Ubuhinga bwo gutumatumanako amakuru (ICT), ubwenge mpingurano (artificial intelligence), kwimura (copy), kumadika (paste), kwunguruza (move), kuvoma (download), inyabwonko (computer), iyitsanyabwonko (digitization), interabwenge (software), umugera (virus), umuhinyiko (code), agaterabwenge (application), kumatura (cut), and urusenge (server).
The director of Editions Gusoma, Niteka Ange Maïtée, stressed that the media play an important role in promoting the mother tongue. To that end, she urged media professionals to make those new words their own, using them in their various publications so that the public, too, will be aware of them.
University professor and Kirundi expert Ferdinand Mberamihigo pointed out that every effort had been made to create short words so that the population would not find it difficult to pronounce them.
Those words will help the population not to continue mixing Kirundi with French or English, he added.
The Director of Culture at the Ministry of East African Community Affairs, Youth, Culture and Sport, Remy Hayimana, and the Director General of Communication and Media at the Ministry of Communication, Information Technology and Media, Oscar Nzohabonayo, who were present at the press conference marking the closing of the “Curijambo” campaign for the 2024 edition, thanked the campaign’s initiators for their efforts in creating those new words and expressions, and encouraged them to move forward by tackling all areas.
Nzohabonayo took the opportunity to ask them to collaborate with the Ministry of Education in the insertion of those new words in certain educational books.
The founder of Editions Gusoma, Roland Lewis Rugero, joined the head of the “Curijambo” campaign for the 2024 edition in warmly thanking Professor Mberamihigo for his remarkable contribution in generating the new Kirundi lexicon for that edition.
Rugero pointed out that those words can be used in publications, pending approval by the Rundi Academy. Finally, he called for combined forces to promote the mother tongue.
The second “Curijambo” campaign is scheduled for next year.