Badminton Federation of Burundi
I was born in 1966 in Matana in a countryside region in the south of Burundi. I’m the eldest in a family of eight children who lived off agriculture. My school was about 6 km from home. Like other children in my region, I loved playing football. After secondary school, I chose to study sports at the University of Burundi.
I’ve been teaching sports at secondary school since 1992. I also teach badminton at National University. My eldest daughter is a badminton player.
First Experience
I discovered badminton in 2004 in the West Province of Burundi where I taught sports. Someone was searching for people to help create a badminton association and clubs. I was interested and I joined him. I became a founder member of the Burundian Badminton Federation.
When I first saw badminton, I was struck by how a shuttle moved. I was impatient to see how it’s played. Badminton was new and I was keen to learn.
Memorable Events
I was delighted to meet Dajee in 2009. He has trained us and advanced us in technical skills. Another memorable event was my participation in the Para badminton Championships in Uganda where Burundi was represented. My students were able to play, and some even won matches, which greatly encouraged me. I meet people who are part of the badminton family through events like Tutor training.
What Makes it Different
Badminton is special because it’s inclusive, it gives place to women and men. We can consider badminton as a technical and safe game, because there is no contact and little risk of serious injury.
Developing Badminton in the Community
I first made my family love the game. My children are players. At the university, as a teacher I motivate students to choose badminton as the principal sport. I ask them to create clubs and teach the sport while in the countryside. Five former students have created clubs after they left university.
Impact of Shuttle Time
Shuttle Time has made badminton known in all provinces. For now, we have taught 30 sports teachers all over the country. Even if equipment is not yet widely available, those teachers are familiar with badminton. We are expecting to organise a national school championship. Shuttle Time has played a big part in making badminton popular.
Lessons From Shuttle Time
With Shuttle time I learnt how to teach badminton to kids. This is very important to me and kids learn badminton very quickly. I found Shuttle Time teachers motivated and interested.
