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License:
NOODL-1.0
Steward:
Institute of African Digital HumanitiesDataset ID:
cmqj6g7jw01grnr07mfc2zl6s
Release Date: 6/18/2026
Format: WAV
Size: 306.18 MB
MAC-Dataset-Burundi is a digitised ethnomusicological audio collection dedicated to the documentation and preservation of traditional vocal music from Burundi. The dataset was constituted in the framework of the Ethnomusicologie d'Afrique Centrale (EMAC) project, initiated by the CERDOTOLA (Centre de Recherche et de Documentation sur les Traditions Orales et pour le Développement des Langues Africaines) following the founding meeting held in Sangmélima, Cameroon, from 17 to 22 September 1979. This meeting brought together representatives of seven Central African countries — Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Rwanda — with the aim of surveying and systematically documenting the musical heritage of the region. The dataset comprises 3 high-quality WAV audio recordings of traditional Burundian vocal performances, representing two distinct oral music genres: the berceuse (lullaby, igitito) and the chante-fable. The recordings were originally captured on magnetic tape and digitised in 2015 at CERDOTOLA in Yaoundé, Cameroon, under the coordination of Dr. Emmanuel Ngue Um, using Adobe Audition 3.0. Pre-digitisation work — including tape cleaning, cataloguing, naming and pre-listening — was carried out by student interns Makon Gwladys and Nastainou Njapndounke. As an ethnomusicological dataset, the primary value of EMAC-Dataset-Burundi lies in the preservation of intangible musical heritage from Burundi, making it suitable for ethnomusicological research, cultural heritage archiving, computational music analysis, and cross-cultural studies of Central African oral music traditions.
Licensing
Nwulite Obodo Open Data Licence 1.0 (NOODL-1.0)
https://licensingafricandatasets.com/nwulite-obodo-licenseRestrictions/Special Constraints
By downloading this dataset, you agree: - To use it for research, education, and cultural heritage purposes only - That you will not re-host or re-share this dataset without the explicit permission of the legal owner
Forbidden Usage
You agree not to use the data for: determining the identity of any performer in the dataset; attempting to clone any voice or train models that imitate any performer in this dataset; Generative AI; reproduction; duplication; modification; augmentation; copying; distribution; transmission; display; sale; transfer; publication or creation of derivative works without the explicit permission of the legal owner of the dataset.
Intended Use
(a) Ethnomusicological and cultural heritage tasks: - Ethnomusicological research: The dataset provides authentic recordings of Burundian lullaby and chante-fable traditions and is suited for the study of vocal style, melodic contour, rhythmic structure, and genre conventions in Central African oral music. - Cultural heritage archiving: The dataset contributes to the digital preservation of intangible cultural heritage from Burundi, supporting institutions involved in the documentation and safeguarding of African oral traditions. - Cross-cultural comparative analysis: Used alongside the other six EMAC country datasets, these recordings enable comparative studies of shared and divergent oral music traditions across Central Africa. (b) Computational and technological tasks: - Computational ethnomusicology: Audio signal analysis, genre classification, melodic transcription, and acoustic modelling using traditional African vocal music as data. - Language and music co-analysis: The co-occurrence of Kirundi speech and song in these recordings enables combined linguistic and musicological analysis of prosodic and tonal features. Ethical Review Process All recordings were collected with the knowledge and participation of the performers and their affiliated institution (Centre de civilisation Burundaise). Performers are identified by name in the associated IMDI metadata files. The dataset is made available for research and educational use in the spirit of the EMAC project's mission of documenting and promoting Central African musical heritage.
Burundi has one of the richest traditions of oral music in Central Africa, characterised by sophisticated vocal polyphony, drumming ensembles (the royal drums, ingoma, being a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage element), and a diversity of vocal genres tied to daily life, ceremony, and oral literature. The musical traditions represented in this dataset belong to the sphere of everyday and domestic vocal performance: the berceuse (igitito), a lullaby sung to soothe infants, and the chante-fable, a narrative genre combining sung passages with spoken storytelling. Both genres are transmitted orally within family and community settings and reflect the aesthetic values and linguistic creativity of Burundian society.
Berceuse (BER — igitito): A lullaby tradition performed in a duo format, typically by women. The igitito is a form of pastoral poetry set to song, with a soothing melodic contour and repetitive structural patterns. Two sessions are represented in this dataset (BER_001 and BER_002).
Chante-fable (CHF): A hybrid genre combining sung passages with narrative prose. The chante-fable is a form of oral literature in which music and story are interwoven, with the sung portions marking transitions in the narrative or expressing the emotional register of characters. One session is represented (CHF_001).
The musical traditions represented in this dataset are transmitted exclusively through oral and performative channels — through imitation, apprenticeship within the community, and participation in domestic and ceremonial contexts. There is no established written notation system for these genres. The berceuse is acquired through family transmission from infancy; the chante-fable is learned through exposure to community performance events. The recordings in this dataset constitute, for each session, a primary documentary resource for the study of these genres as performed by Burundian practitioners associated with the Centre de civilisation Burundaise.
The recordings in this dataset were collected by researchers and technicians of the EMAC project in Burundi, approximately between 1979 and 1982. The EMAC project was initiated by CERDOTOLA following the Sangmélima meeting of September 1979, at which the state of ethnomusicological research in each participating country was assessed. For Burundi, the project engaged the Centre de civilisation Burundaise as the principal institutional partner. Performers (singers) and recorders were affiliated with this institution. The original recordings were stored on magnetic tape at CERDOTOLA until their digitisation in 2015. Digitisation was coordinated by Dr. Emmanuel Ngue Um (CERDOTOLA Associate Researcher) and carried out by student interns Makon Gwladys and Nastainou Njapndounke using Adobe Audition 3.0.
The recordings in this dataset represent traditional domestic and community vocal music from Burundi: lullabies (igitito / berceuse) performed in a duo format, and a chante-fable combining sung and narrative passages. All performances were elicited in a controlled recording environment at the request of the EMAC project and are not live or spontaneous field recordings.
Total audio duration: approximately 52 minutes (3,120 seconds), distributed across 3 WAV audio files. IMDI 3.03 XML metadata files: 6 (1 corpus-level, 2 genre-level, 3 session-level), in IMDI/ subfolder.
The dataset comprises 3 WAV audio files organised as follows:
EMAC_BI_BER_001-1-1.wav — Berceuse 001 (session 001, 1 part of 1)
EMAC_BI_BER_002-1-1.wav — Berceuse 002 (session 002, 1 part of 1)
EMAC_BI_CHF_001-1-1.wav — Chante-fable 001 (session 001, 1 part of 1)
File naming convention: EMAC_{CC}{GENRE}{NNN}-{part}-{total}.wav
CC = ISO country code (BI = Burundi)
GENRE = genre code (BER, CHF)
NNN = zero-padded session number
part / total = part index and total number of parts for multi-file sessions
IMDI metadata files (IMDI/ subfolder):
EMAC_Burundi.imdi — Corpus-level (Ethnomusicologie du Burundi)
EMAC_Burundi/Berceuse.imdi — Genre-level (Berceuse)
EMAC_Burundi/Berceuse/berceuse_001.imdi — Session meta BER_001
EMAC_Burundi/Berceuse/berceuse_002.imdi — Session meta BER_002
EMAC_Burundi/Chante_fable.imdi — Genre-level (Chante-fable)
EMAC_Burundi/Chante_fable/chante_fable_001.imdi — Session meta CHF_001
| Audio file | Genre | Session | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EMAC_BI_BER_001-1-1.wav | Berceuse | 001 | Igitito sung in duo (Centre civil. Bdi.) |
| EMAC_BI_BER_002-1-1.wav | Berceuse | 002 | Igitito, second session |
| EMAC_BI_CHF_001-1-1.wav | Chante-fable | 001 | Narrative song combining prose and song |