Behind the wrappers, the reality : March 8th in Burundi : between celebration and women’s precarity

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, March 10, 2026 — The month of March is dedicated worldwide to women’s rights and the mobilization for equality. In Burundi, this period is marked by awareness campaigns, commemorations, and celebrations. In Bujumbura, the commercial capital where United Nations agencies and the central administration are concentrated, the atmosphere on March 8th was festive : commemorative wrappers and lively bistros punctuated the day. But behind these festivities, some Burundian women are asking : what are we really celebrating?

On the Mutanga campus, a student born with a disability explains that, even though her classmates don’t exclude her, certain opportunities elude her. “I was born with a disability. My classmates don’t exclude me, but there are opportunities I miss because my situation isn’t taken into account. The university should consider everyone, including those living with disabilities,” she confides.

In the city’s markets, other voices express their concerns. Euphémie, a fruit and vegetable vendor, asks : “Why celebrate? Celebrate what? We’ve just gone through nearly five years of a fuel crisis that affects the lives of citizens, especially women. Impunity and social inequalities persist. For me, instead of celebrating March 8th, we should be organizing demonstrations to demand respect for rights in our country.”

Adèle, a mother of three living in the Ngagara zone, north of the city, also emphasizes the economic difficulties. “Celebrating March 8th is complicated for Burundian women today. The prices of basic necessities are beyond our means.” Unemployment, healthcare, and the cost of medicines have become too high. What can we really celebrate?” she asks.

These testimonies illustrate the concerns of some Burundian women who believe that International Women’s Day should be more of a time for reflection on the challenges they face. For them, this day should also be an opportunity to call on the authorities to provide concrete solutions to the economic and social problems that particularly affect women.

Thus, behind the traditional wraps and celebrations, some voices are rising to remind us that the fight for rights and better living conditions remains as relevant as ever.

The Women’s Day was celebrated on Monday, March 9, in the political capital, Gitega, in the presence of the Head of State, Évariste Ndayishimiye. It is not a public holiday in Burundi.