Master Drummers of Burundi

The Master Drummers of Burundi are a group of traditional Burundi musicians and dancers, who perform complex percussive music. Their performances are a part of ceremonies such as the coronation of a new mwami (king). Their drums are sacred, and represent fertility and regenation, and include large ingoma drums made from hollowed tree trunks, the central inkiranya drum which is followed by the amashako and ibishikiso drums. Please see karyenda drum for more information.

Beginning in the 1960s, the Master Drummers have toured the world, appearing on Joni Mitchell's The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975) and inspiring the first WOMAD festival in 1982, which shaped the burgeoning world music genre.

Their recordings include The Master Drummers of Burundi (1994) and The Drummers of Burundi (1999).