When flowers become a luxury in Burundi’s capital

At 7:30 on a Saturday morning, the flower stalls at Athénée, a busy commercial centre in downtown Bujumbura, are already open. Bouquets in bright colours line the narrow aisles, waiting for customers heading to weddings, funerals and family celebrations.

For nearly four decades, Jean Marie Vianney has earned his living here. The father of seven grows flowers on Mboza Hill in the province of Bujumbura, overlooking Burundi’s economic capital, and sells them at Athénée, a trade he inherited from his father. For many years, flowers provided a stable income. The business allowed him to send all seven of his children to school. Today, however, the flowers tell a different story – one about rising living costs and changing priorities in Burundi’s cities.

Fewer residents can afford flowers

“Before, I could comfortably support my family,” Vianney says. “In 2020, I could easily earn around 100,000 Burundian francs a day. Now people think first about food, not flowers.”

His daily earnings have fallen to between 30,000 and 50,000 Burundian francs (about $ 10-17). Demand remains strongest on Tuesdays and Saturdays, when many funerals, weddings and traditional ceremonies take place. But outside those occasions, business is often slow.

The same trend is visible at neighbouring stalls. Ngeze, another florist at Athénée, specialises in funeral wreaths. While wealthier customers still order elaborate arrangements, he says fewer ordinary residents can afford flowers. “A medium-sized wreath costs between 30,000 and 40,000 Burundian francs, yet for wealthier families prices can reach 200,000 or even 300,000 Burundian francs,” he says. 

“Even birthdays no longer bring many customers,” he adds. “Transport problems and the fuel shortage have made life more expensive for everyone.” The recent fuel crisis caused by the war in Iran has affected him even more than transport issues, he says. In recent years, many residents of Bujumbura have struggled with rising prices and difficulties moving around the city. Long queues for fuel and overcrowded public transport have become part of daily life.

A small market mirroring Burundi’s larger economy

The decline in flower purchases may seem minor compared with broader economic challenges, but some traders say it reveals how household priorities are changing. When incomes are under pressure, spending money on celebrations, gifts and decorations is often among the first things to disappear.

For Jacqueline Hatungimana, a mother of two who works in a grocery store in central Bujumbura, flowers have also become an unnecessary expense. “My concern is feeding my family,” she says. “I used to buy bouquets for relatives on Valentine’s Day. Now that is no longer possible.”

Yet flower growers and sellers remain hopeful. Burundi’s Development Agency identifies horticultural products, including flowers, as one of the sectors with growth potential. However, reliable data on flower exports are limited, making it difficult to assess the industry’s contribution to the economy.

Hopes for growth beyond local markets

For Vianney and many others, the hope is simple: they want better transport, improved storage facilities and stronger support for flower producers. Some even dream of exporting Burundian flowers more widely in the future, believing the sector could generate more income if producers had access to larger markets.

Until then, the flower market at Athénée remains a small but telling snapshot of life in Bujumbura. The fewer flowers people buy, traders say, the more it reflects the economic pressures facing ordinary households across the city.

Mireille Kanyange is a journalist and reporter with Radio Isanganiro in Burundi. 
mika.kanyange@gmail.com