Une semaine a Buja

Bujumbura ‘Buja’ is a very lovely and lively small city on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Africa’s deepest lake. It is surrounded by seemingly endless mountains and is green all around especially outside the center of the city where palm trees and other plants abound. The beach with the mountains draped over the lake makes for a gorgeous view. According to the residents, the beaches located in the interior are more beautiful and have white sand, something I will definitely check out in the future. The weather alternates from hot to cool from day to day and throughout the day. There is always a nice breeze and so far there is no humidity. The city is not modernized and like I mentioned in my earlier post does contain traffic lights. It has the sense of chaos of an underdeveloped city as cars here have steering wheels on either side of the car and there is no traffic control by policemen. Also, the electricity gets cut rather often. However, despite the evident poverty I have yet to see even one beggar on the street.

In my first week, work occupied most of my time. I come to work at 8:00 am and leave at 5:30, and I have two-hour lunch break in the middle. I have rather been bored at work, however. Tuesday, my first day at work, I attended a meeting where representatives from LFW and the CNEB (Conseil National des Eglises de Burundi) and an environmentalist discussed potential consequences of an LFW project to clean up and manage swamps in the provinces of Riyugi and Cazacko (located on the eastern side of the country, Buja is on the west.) I was thrilled to be part of the meeting and catch a glimpse of the logistical work that must precede any project. This meeting was, however, the sole highlight of my week at work. The rest of the week, I read the various project documents and was left with nothing to do afterwards. The project coordinator informed me that I would work on a data analysis project next week when the director returns from leave.

Reading the documents regarding the projects, I was made even more aware of how much I can learn about development working here for a year. Burundi is riddled with problems and the challenges of development are felt strongly here. Burundi is recovering from a 15 year civil war that devastated the country, shattered the economy and led to the displacement and exile of hundred of thousands of Burundians. With the advent of peace, the refugees are flocking back to Burundi where there is already a high population density and heavy agricultural strain on the land. LFW and other NGOs are working to repatriate these refuges peacefully and enable them to survive in their new locations. The country is a bottom dweller on various indicators of development as 68% of the population survives with less than one USD per day and 90% of the population makes due on less than 2 USD per day. Widespread health and education, and food security remain far-fetched goals of the government and developmental actors. Despite all these problems, the new peace has ignited hope and given Burundians an opportunity to build up their country.

Outside of work, I experienced a bit of the Burundian culture. My friend from the airport invited me to a wedding ceremony and I attended. It was a two-day affair where on the first night, la ceremonie d’hôte,the groom presents his payment for the bride to her family. The ceremony was under a tent where the bride and the groom sat in the middle, and the audience sat on both sides of the couple facing each other. During the ceremony, two men from each family exchanged several speeches. I understood nothing since the exchanges were made in Kirundu (the local language), but from what I can decipher the exchanges sounded rather poetic. Afterwards, several women walked in, dressed in traditional garb carrying hand made baskets. Then the bride and groom drank out of one of the baskets together which contained traditional beer. Beer is a prominent feature of Burundian culture and very fittingly so for its naturally festive people. The next day, the couple went to the cathedral, city hall, and then the lake to take pictures (I didn’t go those places.) At the end of the day, they gathered in a tent once again. This time the bride was wearing the western white wedding gown. Two young ladies came and danced the traditional dance for the couple. Afterwards, members of the audience came to congratulate and present gifts to the couple. It was a nice experience and I was struck by how the traditional Burundian dress is an Indian like sari costume made out of silk. The ladies wearing them looked stunning.

Overall, I have been having a pretty good time. Some of the adjustments have not been easy such as getting used to the dogs that live in my compound and the lizards I occasionally see in my house. I am getting used to the money here (one USD converts to around 1200 Burundian Francs,) and some of the Burundian cultural features such as the distant quasi hug (no full body collision a la American or Habeha.) The coffee is delicious completely eliminating my previous intention of weaning myself off coffee. I have been reunited with my childhood love of “Nido” and I could eat the delicious Burundian fish kabob everyday all year. People have been friendly, and I am thankful that I am able to communicate with a great number of them (although people who never attended school don’t speak French.) I am going to try to pick up some Kirundu as in Riyugi very few people speak French.