Eastern Africa
Video Chat with People from Burundi
Lake Tanganyika shapes much of life in Burundi, especially in Bujumbura, the largest city, where people head to the lakeside beaches and watch the sun set over the mountains on the far shore. The capital, Gitega, sits on the central plateau and is home to the national museum. Ngozi in the north and Rumonge on the lake are other places your chat partner might call home. Kirundi is the language nearly everyone shares, which makes it a great one to learn a word or two of. French is widely used in business and education, English is used too, and Swahili is often heard in Bujumbura's markets.
Burundi uses Central Africa Time, UTC+2, all year, so evening there is early afternoon in New York and early evening in London. The country's royal drummers are famous far beyond its borders, and drumming is a point of pride. Food is a friendly topic: ndagala, small fish from the lake, fried crisp; mukeke, another lake fish; beans with plantains; and grilled brochettes. Other good subjects: the hillsides planted with tea and coffee, Kibira forest, or the little pyramid at Rutovu that marks one of the Nile's southernmost sources.
Burundi at a glance
| Flag | 🇧🇮 |
|---|---|
| Official name | Republic of Burundi |
| Capital | Gitega |
| Region | Africa · Eastern Africa |
| Official languages | French and Kirundi |
| Currency | Burundian franc (Fr, BIF) |
| Calling code | +257 |
| Time zone | Central Africa Time (Africa/Bujumbura) |
How to say hello
A few words of French make a great first impression, even if you switch to English right after.
| Language | Phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirundi | Amahoro! | ah-mah-HOH-roh | Hello! (literally "peace") |
| Kirundi | Bite? | BEE-teh | How's it going? |
| Kirundi | Mwaramutse! | mwah-rah-MOOT-seh | Good morning! |
| Swahili | Habari? | hah-BAH-ree | How are you? (literally "what's the news?") |
Tips for chatting with people from Burundi
- Kirundi and Kinyarwanda are close relatives, so people from Burundi and Rwanda can usually follow each other; ask how the two compare.
- Bujumbura on the lake and Gitega on the plateau are very different places, so ask which one they know best.
- Ask whether they've seen a drum performance; many people have, at a wedding, a festival or a national celebration.
- If English feels slow, try French; many people are more comfortable in it, and our French phrase guide covers the basics.
Only meet people from Burundi
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from Burundi, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for Burundi and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from Burundi, or switch back to Worldwide any time.
Your first day is free: you add a card through Stripe to start it, and nothing is charged that day. When the 24 hours end, the country filter costs $3 one time, charged to that card, unless you cancel before then in Settings (if you cancel, you can still pick a country until the day ends). It's not a subscription, and it stays unlocked on that device and browser. It doesn't carry over to other devices or browsers, and clearing your browser data removes it. There's one free day per device, home network and card. Payment goes through Stripe, so Omlet never sees your card number.
The filter works both ways, and matching can be slower when fewer people from Burundi are online. Chatting itself is free, and Worldwide matching never costs anything.
Your own country is detected automatically and shown to the people you meet as a flag.
Neighboring countries
Burundi borders 3 countries. Curious about the people next door? Meet them too: