Kirundi

Fluidity is key here, starting with dialogue and songs in languages that include Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, English and French.

WILLIAMS: After writing the script, working with those poets and writers from Rwanda and Burundi to translate the text into Kinyarwanda and Kirundi was an extraordinary experience.

In the local Kirundi language, “ingoma” means both “drum” and “kingdom” — signifying its centrality to prestige and power.

Named “I won’t get infected and propagate COVID-19,” in the Kirundi language, the new program was launched in three centers in the north, center and south of Bujumbura.

The rescue committee’s local Facebook page now features videos encouraging census participation in seven languages, including Farsi, Nepali and Kirundi.