I have not written much in detail about Burundi and thought that I should do so a wee bit, if for nothing else, to do a bit of a geography lesson. Bujumbura is the capital city of Burundi and it is situated amongst the hills and on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. There are no traffic lights here, just a few roundabouts and stop signs. The neighbourhood I am in is called Kigobe Nord and it is close to the Parliament building. I have not actually asked but I am guessing that one does not stop in to visit the Parliament the way you would the Golden Boy at home. One of the main streets downtown has a fancy hotel called Hotel Amahoro where I sometimes check email since it is free. Outside the hotel there are many beggars. There is a huge Catholic Cathedral downtown as well that I have been to once. I am not sure I have mentioned that the congregation claps here during the changing of the bread and wine and after the gospel reading. Apparently that is an African tradition—it happens in other countries here as well.
When you leave Bujumbura and head to Gitega (photo), Kimbiba or Burasira where I have been, you say that you are going upcountry. Literally you travel up the hills, along winding roads to get there. It can be a little cooler up there. The first night in Gitega, I slept with a fleece on.
The city is mixed ethnically and religiously. Catholics were the majority of the population at one time, but a variety of evangelical churches exist. Faithfully at 4:30 each morning, prayers waft from the mosque. I am used to it now so sleep through them but the other morning I was awake and heard them again. Muslims did not distinguish themselves as an ethnic group during the 1993 crisis, and remained neutral by not participating in the killings. Perhaps because of this, there has been an increase in people exploring this faith and a rise in numbers of Muslims. The population is made up of Hutus, Tutsis, and Twa, primarily. The Twa are a marginalized group in smaller numbers than the other two. Bujumbura has many Congolese people living here as well. Kirundi and French are the main languages. Before colonization, the Hutus and Tutsis lived harmoniously in the collines, spoke the same language and had the same culture. In more recent years, there have been a number of conflicts that have divided the communities.
Drumming is famous here and I often hear it during the late afternoon though I have not seen it live. Drums are from the days when there were kings in Burundi. I have not seen any live traditional dancing either but have seen both drumming and dancing on television.
Burundi is one of the most densely populated (and I may have read somewhere that it is the most densely populated) country in Africa. It is one of the least urbanized countries in the world. Primarily an agricultural country, coffee, tea, sugar, sorghum, corn, pineapple, and other typical southern crops are grown. Livestock, especially cattle, are a sign of wealth. More than half the population lives below poverty. Half the population walks at least a kilometer to fetch water. Literacy rates are low, especially for girls, in the rural areas. Because of the war and the use of rape as a weapon, AIDS is prevalent, with lots of orphans as an outcome. I read one stat that said that 20% of children die before their 5th birthday. With few animals remaining in Burundi, there is little to entice tourists to come here instead of East Africa.
This landlocked country is beautiful, its people welcoming, and peace is slowly taking hold due in part to efforts like CAPI and its partners. I hope that gives you a bit of a glimpse into this country that has hosted me these past few weeks in a little more “academic” way than I have been sharing.
When you leave Bujumbura and head to Gitega (photo), Kimbiba or Burasira where I have been, you say that you are going upcountry. Literally you travel up the hills, along winding roads to get there. It can be a little cooler up there. The first night in Gitega, I slept with a fleece on.
The city is mixed ethnically and religiously. Catholics were the majority of the population at one time, but a variety of evangelical churches exist. Faithfully at 4:30 each morning, prayers waft from the mosque. I am used to it now so sleep through them but the other morning I was awake and heard them again. Muslims did not distinguish themselves as an ethnic group during the 1993 crisis, and remained neutral by not participating in the killings. Perhaps because of this, there has been an increase in people exploring this faith and a rise in numbers of Muslims. The population is made up of Hutus, Tutsis, and Twa, primarily. The Twa are a marginalized group in smaller numbers than the other two. Bujumbura has many Congolese people living here as well. Kirundi and French are the main languages. Before colonization, the Hutus and Tutsis lived harmoniously in the collines, spoke the same language and had the same culture. In more recent years, there have been a number of conflicts that have divided the communities.
Drumming is famous here and I often hear it during the late afternoon though I have not seen it live. Drums are from the days when there were kings in Burundi. I have not seen any live traditional dancing either but have seen both drumming and dancing on television.
Burundi is one of the most densely populated (and I may have read somewhere that it is the most densely populated) country in Africa. It is one of the least urbanized countries in the world. Primarily an agricultural country, coffee, tea, sugar, sorghum, corn, pineapple, and other typical southern crops are grown. Livestock, especially cattle, are a sign of wealth. More than half the population lives below poverty. Half the population walks at least a kilometer to fetch water. Literacy rates are low, especially for girls, in the rural areas. Because of the war and the use of rape as a weapon, AIDS is prevalent, with lots of orphans as an outcome. I read one stat that said that 20% of children die before their 5th birthday. With few animals remaining in Burundi, there is little to entice tourists to come here instead of East Africa.
This landlocked country is beautiful, its people welcoming, and peace is slowly taking hold due in part to efforts like CAPI and its partners. I hope that gives you a bit of a glimpse into this country that has hosted me these past few weeks in a little more “academic” way than I have been sharing.
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