COVER N.15 - Burundi

Postmark: Service Philatelique Burundi - 04JUN2021
Posted on the  4th june; received on the 23rd June.
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Burundi? I confess my ignorance. Well, not total, but apart from knowing that this is a Republic in the great lakes region in Africa, whose capital was Bujumbura (how can one forget such a melodic name)...

Thankfully, calling on help of Wikipedia, in the time it takes to open another window on the screen of my computer I am almost immediately put to shame for not knowing that Burundi was also prey to the violent conflict that  has opposed Tutsis and Hutus which had its most horrific and publicised climax in the ethnical cleansing  that occurred in neighbouring Rwanda in 1994.

Although its genesis dates to pre-colonial times when the Kigdom of Burundi was created in the 17th century, Burundi’s history, as most if not all of the current African States is deeply linked to a story of colonial past,  that has its roots in the conference of Congo (or conference of Berlim) of 1884/5, wherein the western colonial powers divided Africa and its many resources between themselves. Burundi  was  part of the German share of the bargain, a state of affairs that would continue until the end of the 1st World War. With the German defeat,  in the wake of the Versailles Treaty, its African colonies were redistributed  among the winners. Thus  Burundi and Rwanda, both part of the former German East Africa, fell under Belgian rule as a single administrative entity, this being probably the reason why one of its official languages is French, nowadays, the others being Kirundi and English.  Independence would come in 1962, after a period (1946-1962) when the country was administered by the United Nations.

Where in the world would I be able to get a nice philatelic cover from Burundi if not for the help of Roland, and the LCC? Thank you so much!

Stamps from left to right:

The 10 Burundian Franc  stamp is part of a 10 stamp definitive set themed on Mushrooms, with  10, 15, 20, 30, 75, 85, 100, 120, 130, 250 Burundian Franc denominations. Of note is the fact that the 75 F and  the  85 F stamps appear to be exactly the same, except for the different denomination. This set was issued on 30SEP1992.

The 150 BF stamp illustrated by a passion fruit flower is part of a 5 stamp set (90, 150, 500, 810, 1500 Burundian Francs) issued on 24DEC2008, dedicated to Fauna and Flora.

The 1690 fbu  with a picture of a ruff ( Philomacus pugnax) is a  bit of a mystery. Every resource I consulted only show one issue of stamps in 2018, this apparently being the last one ever emitted or acknowledged by  the postal administration of the country, dedicated to  the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Burundi. As such I know nothing about this one. Any information on this particular stamp would of course be most welcome.