Coat of arms of Burundi
Encyclopedia
The coat of arms of Burundi
, adopted in 1966, consists of a shield surrounded by three spears. On the shield is the motto
of the nation, as well as the head of a lion
. Behind the shield there are three crossed traditional African spear
s. Under the shield the national motto of Burundi appears on a scroll: Unité, Travail, Progrès (French, "Unity, Work, Progress").
drum was surmounted on the top as a symbol of the mwami
(king), surrounded by two laurels. The number of spears was four. The national motto was Ganza Sabwa, which is in Kirundi
and roughly means "(the mwami) rules and reigns".
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
, adopted in 1966, consists of a shield surrounded by three spears. On the shield is the motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
of the nation, as well as the head of a lion
Lion (heraldry)
The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises bravery, valour, strength, and royalty, since traditionally, it is regarded as the king of beasts.-Attitudes:...
. Behind the shield there are three crossed traditional African spear
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
s. Under the shield the national motto of Burundi appears on a scroll: Unité, Travail, Progrès (French, "Unity, Work, Progress").
History
The previous coat of arms of the Kingdom of Burundi, used from 1962 until 1966, looked very similar, except that the royal karyendaKaryenda
The karyenda is a traditional African drum. It was the main symbol of Burundi and its mwami and had semidivine status. The mwami was said to interpret the beatings of the karyenda into rules for the kingdom.- History :...
drum was surmounted on the top as a symbol of the mwami
Mwami
Mwami is the chiefly title in Kirundi and Kinyarwanda, the Congolese Nande and Bashi languages, Luhya in Kenya and various other Bantu languages, such as the Tonga language . The word is usually translated as king...
(king), surrounded by two laurels. The number of spears was four. The national motto was Ganza Sabwa, which is in Kirundi
Kirundi
Kirundi, also known as Rundi, is a dialect of the Rwanda-Rundi language spoken by some 8.7 million people in Burundi and adjacent parts of Tanzania and Congo-Kinshasa, as well as in Uganda. It is the official language of Burundi...
and roughly means "(the mwami) rules and reigns".