Discussion after dinner and a graduation

Last Sunday, I attended a dinner at the home of one of the pastors of the Friends Church. After dinner, a visiting representative of the Canadian Friends Service Committee facilitated a dialogue session. Each person spoke briefly in response to a prompt, then passed to the left. We went around twice, which allowed ideas to develop and people to respond to others’ comments. The prompt was “What needs to be done to consolidate peace in Burundi?” Given that more than half of the participants are working at the grassroots level to just that end, there was some real wisdom exchanged.

The contributions ranged widely. Some responses were material, including building social cohesion, stimulating development and reducing poverty and inequality— “They say there’s peace because there aren’t two sides fighting each other. But for me, I don’t have peace in my heart because of the poverty we are facing,” said one participant. Others were cultural, including fighting corruption, and confronting violence against women. Underlying all of these concerns was the difficult issue of how to prioritize. The needs here are enormous, yet what comes first, second, etc. is not clear. While the UN could undertake such prioritization and sequencing initiatives, it’s failing so far. Friends also spoke of the lack of coordination among different peace initiatives.

Yet despite these problems, there were also some uplifting messages too. One local church leader recounted positive changes he’d seen since the end of the war: Hutus now have a voice and stake in the governance of the country and there’s no longer a curfew in Bujumbura. Others spoke about the pride that they should rightfully take in their work; they might not have degrees or big budgets, but they’re doing good work, and should actively be showcasing it for the government, NGOs and the UN.

Listening to the voices of these peacemakers was quite a privilege, and the combination of their conviction and willingness to work for change moved me.

On Friday I attended the graduation of Odette, who is married to Adrien, Coordinator of the Healing and Rebuilding our Communities Program. Odette just finished her bachelor’s degree at Hope Africa University in Bible study. Seeing her family and friends brimming with pride was a real pleasure, as was seeing one of Burundi’s renowned drum teams. The drummers manage to balance a 3-foot-tall drum on their heads, walk, play it, and even kick the drum head from time to time. They get a little bit carried away too—at one point the aggravated MC had to yell over them on the microphone over them that “I asked the drummers to play us just a little morsel!”

I’m headed to Nairobi for Christmas and New Years, but have been enjoying starting to settle into Bujumbura life and will look forward to my return.

Other items of interest:
- The lemons are green
- It rains two or three times every afternoon
- I’ve had more Fanta in these two weeks than in the entire rest of my life

Finally, a quick plug: my roommate Andrew’s blog is a great read: quakerfront.com. He’s been here since May 2008, so there’s quite a bit of good reflections and analysis.

Initial impressions

Here’s a nuts-and-bolts account of my experience so far. More in-depth and substantive reflections to come. I've been so busy in my first few days I haven't had much time to put pen to paper.

Where am I living: In the capital, Bujumbura, in the neighborhood my roommate Andrew describes as “Manhattan.” The building used to be a seminary and is literally next to the Friends Church. I have running water, an internet connection and can hear choir practice out of my window. Bujumbura is pretty tiny, and I’m beginning to recognize landmarks and figure out what’s north and south.

What I’ve been doing: As soon as I arrived, I traveled upcountry with the Healing and Rebuilding our Communities (HROC) team to Rurengera, a small village in the north. The beautiful drive on the country roads took us through the mountains past green fields, brick houses and eucalyptus trees. In Rurengera, I took part in a HROC Advanced workshop held in a tiny, and old, Friends church there. Twenty people from the village and the nearby Internally Displaced Persons’ camp came together to tell their stories and discuss ways to overcome cycles of violence. I’ve spent the past couple of days exploring Bujumbura.

The food: good, on the simple side, lots of beans and lots of bananas—of which there are several kinds. Naturally, a lot of the produce is organic, local, and delicious.

The music: Has been breathtaking. The HROC workshops use songs to bring the group together and close the days. So, I’ve been treated to beautiful hymns with four-part harmony. I understand many of them are originally western hymns, but they’ve been thoroughly Burundi-ized. I heard La Bamba and Akon on the street the other day.

The language: All of the Burundians I’ve met speak Kirundi with each other, and many have better English than my French; I haven’t practiced as much as I’d like. The Burundian accent tests my French comprehension skills.

On adjusting: My hosts have done a wonderful job of helping me figure out what to do and what not to do and explaining what happens when, where, and why, so I feel I’ve had a head start. I expect progress to slow down soon, though.

All-in-all it's been wonderful and has already surpassed expectations. I look forward to a growthful and eye-opening few months.