The Burundi

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...

an monarchy existed according to the traditional account from the 16th century until 1966, but it is now thought that the first king began to reign in 1680. Like the monarchy in neighbouring Rwanda it was led by Tutsi

Tutsi

The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....

 kings. The last 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...

 (ruler) of Burundi was King Ntare V

Ntare V

Ntare V of Burundi was the king of Burundi from june to November 1966. Until his accession, he was known as Crown Prince Charles Ndizeye. He deposed his father, Mwambutsa IV in 1966...

, who was either (according to some reports) murdered at the Ibwami royal palace in Gitega

Gitega

Gitega is the second largest city in Burundi, lying east of Bujumbura. It is the capital of Gitega Province, one of the 17 provinces of Burundi. It is the home of the Burundi National Museum and the Archdiocese of Gitega...

 in 1972, or (according to others) fled to exile in West Germany

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

.

Most members of the royal house live in exile in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 today. In the 2005 elections, Princess Esther Kamatari ran for president for the Abahuza

Abahuza

The Abahuza party is a monarchist political party in Burundi. Officially called the Party for the Restoration of Monarchy and Dialogue in Burundi, Abahuza literally means “The Reconciliators” in the Kirundi language. The party was registered with Burundi’s Interior Ministry on September 20, 2004...

 party ("Party for the Restoration of Monarchy and Dialogue in Burundi"). Supporters argue that a restoration of a constitutional monarchy

Constitutional monarchy

Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...

 could help to ease the tensions between the ethnic groups and become a symbol of unity.

The flag of the kingdom contained a karyenda

Karyenda

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 :...

in the center as a symbol of royal authority.