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| Distressed women baring their breasts in front of stunned customs and police officer |
This unusual scene took place at a market in the Burundi capital,
Bujumbura, as officers seized wrap cloths imported illegally. The women,
who are all stallholders, spontaneously decided to bare all in protest.
In Burundi, as in many countries in Africa, wrap cloths or “pagnes”
are an integral part of the country’s heritage. Today, most of the
cloths are imported from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo
where prices are lower there. In Bujumbura, the "pagnes" have been sold
at markets by “mama vendors” for generations. But at the Chez Siyoni
market on September 27, all stock was seized because authorities say the
stallholders had not paid import taxes on the cloths.
“Selling pagnes is our only means of survival”
Mama Yvette is a "pagne" seller at the Chez Siyoni market, in Bujumbura.
Customs officers from the Burundi Revenue Authority came with
police officers and closed all the market stalls. This devastated us
because selling "pagnes" is our only means of survival. It was in
despair at the closure that we showed our breasts. We didn’t know what
else to do to stop them from seizing our merchandise.
The year has been an unlucky and difficult one for us. On January 27, a fire broke out at Bujumbura’s central market.
The stands and a large portion of our stock went up in flames,
destroying our livelihoods of thousands of vendors and making our lives
extremely difficult.
Some “mamas” then moved to the Chez Siyoni market, a
privately-owned market [the central market run by the city] where the
cost of hiring a stall is much higher. Every month, I pay 50,000 FBU
[around 24 euros] as opposed to 15,000 FBU at the central market.
Ever since the custom officers’ raid on September 27, we don’t know
what to do. It’s the first time that such a seizure has ever taken
place; I’ve never seen this before. What are we doing to do now?
In Burundi, "pagnes" are overtaxed. The state raised taxes on them
by 70% [according to the Burundi Revenue Authority, the tax came into
force on July 1, 2013]. It’s no longer profitable, and thus encourages
fraud.
We are calling on the Burundi Revenue Authority to sit down with us
at the negotiating table to agree on a tax that would suit everyone
financially.
When contacted by FRANCE 24, a spokesperson from the Burundi
Revenue Authority said the operation “was carried out as part of the
fight against fraud. All customs officers can, according to the law,
carry out a search if there is serious information on the existence of
fraudulent merchandise. It happens that in Burundi, "pagnes" are never
declared even though the markets are filled with them, and it’s one of
the most sold products. Surprising, isn’t it?”
The spokesperson added: “The tax on "pagnes" is there for the
benefit of the local economy. Given that it’s a massively-imported
merchandise, we tax it more than other items.”
Post written with FRANCE 24 journalist Grégoire Remund.
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