This weekend I attended the wedding of Solange, HROC facilitator in Rwanda. She’s spent lots of time in Burundi, so my colleagues were excited to attend, and she equally excited to have them present.

The weekend began with the seven-hour bus trip, winding our way up to Kigali, stopping for corn and brochettes along the way. We stayed at Friends Peace House, a verdant compound which was formerly a school, and is now a base of operations for many peace initiatives. After hearing so much about this place, I was glad to see it myself. As colleagues said, it’s widely known in Kigali—all I had to say was “Friends…Kicukiro,” and all the cab drivers knew exactly where to take me. No such luck in Bujumbura.

The dowry ceremony was my favorite part of the wedding. The bride’s family and guests wait at her house for the groom’s party to arrive. When they do, they sat across the courtyard. An uncle from each side was given a microphone, and engaged in a dialogue that went something like this:

Bride’s Uncle: “Beautiful day”
Groom’s Uncle: “Yes, beautiful day”
BU: “We’re so glad you could come to celebrate the completion of the road in front of our house”
GU: “Yes it’s a beautiful road. There was one other small matter we wanted to discuss with you.”
BU: “Oh, no need to rush into things.”
GU: “It’s about a daughter of yours. My nephew would like to marry her.”
BU: “Oh, I’m terribly sorry, but we promised her to another family just a couple of months ago.”
GU: “I’m sure there is some mistake. Solange?”

…Twenty minutes of this sort of evasion on the part of the bride’s family; crowd in stitches…

BU: “OH, Solange, yes, actually it was her twin we promised to another family. We would be happy to have your nephew marry Solange”

Another highlight was when they actually brought the dowry—the cows—into the yard. An old man sang a song about how good the cows were. The church service followed, which drew a whopping 7 pastors (a testament to Solange’s popularity). Next, a reception, with military procession and the groom cutting the cake with his sword. Finally, a ceremony of presenting the bride and groom with food for two weeks, so that they could live comfortably and return to work on Monday. Total Fanta count for the day: three.

Kigali is striking for its order and cleanliness. Spread over hills and valleys, the roads weave their way between neighborhoods. The tourist infrastructure is readily visible here. There’s lots of English, the new official language, and people are eager to engage the muzungus. There’s even a Nakumatt, which is more or less East African WalMart. I bought a Cormac McCarthy book, to give you an idea.

I was grateful for the chance to explore Kigali beyond the bus station, but as usual I felt pretty good rolling back into Buja.

Quaker views on violence in the eastern DRC

DECLARATION BY CENTRAL AFRICAN QUAKERS REGARDING THE CRITICAL SITUATION IN THE EAST OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC)

Bujumbura, Burundi 22 January 2009

 We, members of Quaker Peace Network-Central Africa, gathered for a conference in Bujumbura, Burundi from January 19-23, 2009, are deeply concerned by the current situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  After exchanging information with colleagues in the region, we were devastated by their accounts of the conditions currently facing the population of eastern DRC:

-         The war continues to rage

-         Massacres of innocent populations, especially women and children, are committed day by day

-         Rapes of young girls, mothers, and old women are commonplace

-         The population continues to pour into Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and flee the country.  Deaths pile up in the IDP camps (5-6 deaths a day in Bulengo)

-         Hunger, malnutrition, and lack of shelter affect all

-         Villages are burned in their entirety

-         Kidnapping and forced enrollment of young, especially children.  Torture, including castration, is inflicted on those who refuse to join armed groups

Considering that an agreement signed on January 16 between the Congolese and Rwandan governments to pursue the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the Interahamwe (armed groups, some of whose members are accused of perpetrating the 1994 genocide in Rwanda) will surely exacerbate the situation and cause more deaths and displacement, there is a major risk of activating conflicts in the countries of the subregion.

Despite this terrifying and alarming situation, the Quakers of the region, especially those in the eastern province of North Kivu, have not ceased providing emotional and material assistance to the victims.  An able team of Quakers are undertaking a series of initiatives in Goma, North Kivu:

-         Establishing support groups for survivors of rape

-         Distributing clothes, food, and soap

-         Holding dialogues through Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) and Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities (HROC) workshops

Yet despite the laudable intervention of Quakers in the region, the situation remains far from manageable.  Deaths continue to pile up, numbers of displaced grow at an unbelievable rate, such that their needs become even more overwhelming.

Thus, we implore the Quakers of the world to join us without delay in providing immediate relief and:

-         In making pleas to the highest possible places, including the United States government, European Union, and the UN, to put active diplomatic pressure on parties to the conflict to stop the despicable crimes and unspeakable violence in eastern DRC, and insist that the UN Mission in DRC, MONUC, takes a more neutral stance in its operations.

-         In supporting the Quaker Values in Goma Fund by sending a contribution to the African Great Lakes Initiative (AGLI), using the instructions at the bottom of the page.  This money will be used to help meet the needs of the displaced and others, including food, clothing, blankets, and tents to offer temporary shelter to displaced persons.

-         In supporting our trauma healing and reconciliation efforts that contribute to the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

Together, we can offer hope to belief in a better future to all the affected populations in the eastern DRC.  We thank you in advance for your consideration of our declaration, and assure you of our highest consideration.

For questions regarding this declaration, please contact Adrien Niyongabo, Director, HROC Burundi (adniyo@hotmail.com).  For questions regarding Quaker work in the DRC, please contact Pastor Levy Munyemana, Change Agent Peace Program Director in Goma (leviyfcgoma@yahoo.fr), or Anna Crumley-Effinger (anna.crumleyeffinger@gmail.com), who works on Quaker advocacy related to the DRC.

To contribute to the “Quaker Values in Goma” Fund online, please go to the African Great Lakes Initiative website (www.aglionline.org), and click on “Donate”; please put “Quaker Values in Goma” in the “Designate my donation” field.

To contribute by check in the United States, please make the check out to “Friends Peace Teams/AGLI”, write “Quaker Values in Goma” in the memo line, and mail to Friends Peace Teams, 1001 Park Ave, St. Louis, MO 63104.  In the United Kingdom, please make the check out to “African Great Lakes Initiative” with “Quaker Values in Goma” in the memo line, and send to Laura Shipler Chico, 33 Caithness Rd, London, W140JA, England.

- Participants of the conference of QPN-Central Africa January 2009

HROC just had some great news.  The Advanced workshop we held in Rurengera in December (see below) has spawned a follow-up initiative among some of the participants.  Inspired by the workshop, they’ll be forming their own group, which will meet regularly to continue discussion trauma recovery and reconciliation, and to share the lessons they’ve learned with other residents of Rurengera.  This is exactly what HROC strives for: to empower people to work for the kinds of communities that they want to live in.

Yesterday was a welcome day off for the Day of National Unity.  Most people use it as a day to rest and don’t particularly celebrate, and it’s easy to understand why they’re jaded: it was instituted in 1992, one year before the beginning of the bloody twelve-year-long civil war.  I was graciously invited to the home of Adrien, HROC coordinator.  We had lunch and took a walk around his neighborhood, Gasenyi.  Located at the outskirts of Bujumbura, near the hills that were a bastion of one of the main rebel groups, it was a major battleground in the conflict.  Though the abandoned and crumbling houses testify to this, it is still hard to picture soldiers on the sunny and green meadows.  Also striking was the number of new and half-finished homes.  Much like American exurbs, the land is being snatched up and prices are skyrocketing.  Because the cost of construction materials is high right now, there are many building projects on hold while people save up for more materials.  According to Adrien, as soon as people get the door on, they move in, and indeed, most of the Burundians I’ve met say their houses aren’t finished.  I had a great afternoon, and don’t regret forgoing a trip up to the Monument to National Unity.

Finally, a little taste of how I’ve been spending my free time these past few weeks:

1. Learning to cook with the imbabura: charcoal stove.  I’ve been making beans, fried imikeke (fish unique to Lac Tanganyika, which I learned how to gut), fried green bananas, fried sweet potatoes.  I am getting better at managing the coals, too.
2. Reading.  Moby Dick and Hundred Years of Solitude have been the most recent installments.  Also, I’ve been puzzling through the Burundian newspapers, dictionary in hand.
3. Volleyball and swimming on the beach at the Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika.  There’s a sizeable collection of internationals that have made this a regular Saturday and Sunday affair.
4. Capoeira at the Belgian School.  The headmaster teaches a twice-weekly class…in French.  Lots of breathless stuttering about whether or not I’m doing the kick correctly.
5. Listening to Radio France International, the BBC, and Burundian oldies on our newly purchased radio
6. Applying for jobs for my return…any suggestions?