Akazehe (also known as agocoya[1] or, regionally, akayégo or akahibongozo) is a traditional Burundian form of chanted extended musical greeting, sung exclusively by and between women.[2] [3] The polyphonic form is practiced among rural women as a quotidian greeting between pairs of friends or relatives, irrespective of time or occasion.
Within Burundi, akazehe is generally understood as conversational rather than musical, with the practice (whose name derives from the Kirundi root Rundi: -zehe, meaning to chat) typically referred to in terms of speaking rather than of singing. The practice, noted for its promotion of peace and social cohesion in Burundi, is in decline.
Akazehe begins with embrace, continues into extended dialogic chant, and ends with the squeezing or shaking of hands. The utterance is initiated by the older of the women.
Upon encounter, the female performers get close to one another and, standing up straight, place one or both arms on the forearm(s) or shoulder(s) of the other. The women's heads are next to each other, facing either the same or opposite directions, but never facing one another or meeting eyes. Once this posture is assumed, it is maintained without movement (except for, in some cases, "highly controlled" lip movement and caresses of the forearms and, less commonly, shoulders and face) throughout the chant, which may last for several minutes. The chant follows a call-and-response structure and accords to an interlocking rhythm, with one woman singing a melodic, variable part (called the Rundi: gutera, meaning to throw), to the other woman's rhythmic ostinato response (called the Rundi: kwakira, meaning to receive). The women obligatorily switch roles throughout the chant, timing the reversal(s) with brief pauses or with some conventional phrases. The verb for the exchange of roles is Rundi: kwakiranwa, meaning to take turns in carrying the load. The rhythm of the akazehe is complex, with complete melodies forming from segments sung in rapid, overlapping enunciation, across a narrow range of notes.[4] It has been compared in its tiluar rhythmic quality to a canon. When the women part at the end of the chant, they may now meet each other's eyes and smile, laugh, greet each other in other conventional ways (such as by shaking hands), and chat.
Formally, akazehe is characterized in its lyrics by such stylistic devices as allusion, metaphor, alliteration, and metonymy.
The lyrical contents of the chant can include expressions of complicity and affection, affirmations of the two performers' relative roles (e.g. Hello, hello my daughter; Yes, yes, yes my dear), exchanged news, advice, and personal stories about female domestic life, according to a ten-tiered hierarchy of thematic and sequential priority, as identified by Isaac Ndimurwakno:
The following is an example of an akazehe, transcribed by Italian ethnomusicologist Serena Facci:
Akazehe has been noted for fostering social connection and peace in times of conflict and instability.[5] A 2014 study identified the practice as a source of well-being for conflict-affected women in Burundi.[6]
Akazehe has been in decline since at least the 1990s. Akazehe as a practice disappeared from the Commune of Gishubi as a result of the Burundian Civil War between 1993 and 2000.[7] Akazehe was reported in October 2024 by the Associated Press to be in decline. Cultural officials and teachers in Burundi attributed the decline to public health measures discouraging unnecessary physical contact during disease outbreaks such as COVID-19 and monkeypox, as well as a perceived lack of promotion in schools. "Among young Burundians," reports the Associated Press, "it is hard to find people who know what akazehe means and even harder to find someone who can perform it." School teacher Annonciate Baragahorana observed that akazehe was primarily practiced by women living in the central plateaus of the country, with the province of Ngozi specifically noted as a place where the tradition persists.[8]