Akazehe

Akazehe (also known as agocoya or, regionally, akayégo or akahibongozo) is a traditional Burundian form of chanted extended musical greeting, sung exclusively by and between women. The polyphonic form is practiced among rural women as a quotidian greeting between pairs of friends or relatives, irrespective of time or occasion.

Within Burundi, akazehe is generally understood as conversational rather than musical, with the practice (whose name derives from the Kirundi root -zehe, meaning to chat) typically referred to in terms of speaking rather than of singing. The practice, noted for its promotion of peace and social cohesion in Burundi, is in decline.