Bubanza : Christmas celebrated amid high cost of living and precariousness

SOS Médias Burundi

Bubanza, December 25, 2025 – In Bubanza, as in several regions of Burundi, Christmas 2025 was celebrated amidst precarious living conditions and soaring prices for basic necessities. Between skyrocketing food prices, unpaid civil servant salaries, and agricultural difficulties, many families had to make difficult choices to celebrate this religious holiday. Despite these economic constraints, the holiday remains a time of faith, resilience, and family gathering, illustrating the residents’ determination to preserve their Christian traditions even in times of crisis.

The residents of the district of Bubanza, in Bujumbura province in western Burundi, celebrated Christmas on Thursday in a particularly challenging socio-economic context.

This celebration coincides with a worrying surge in the prices of basic necessities on the local market. A kilogram of rice currently sells for between 6,500 and 7,000 Burundi francs, while a kilogram of beef reaches 30,000 francs, a price inaccessible to most households. These products, essential for celebrating Christmas, remain out of reach for many.

Adding to this situation is the non-payment of civil servants’ salaries, plunging many families into extreme poverty. Meanwhile, crops have not yet ripened, further reducing opportunities for income or food self-sufficiency.

Despite these difficulties, Christmas retains a special significance for believers. The holiday was celebrated religiously in the various churches of the district. Some residents spent up to three times their daily consumption to mark the occasion, while others preferred to celebrate with their families, using whatever means were available, emphasizing the festive aspect for children.

Some merchants, taking advantage of the period, raised food prices, a practice strongly criticized by the population.

The situation in Bubanza is not isolated. In several regions of Burundi, residents describe similar conditions, exacerbated by the non-payment of salaries for civil servants, whose payments were due, for the most part, in the second week of January.

Thus, in Bubanza, Christmas 2025 was experienced with a mixture of faith and resilience, but also with economic hardship, forcing residents to make difficult choices to celebrate this long-awaited holiday.