Burundi
- Karen Darnell
- Jun 20, 2020
- 4 min read
Some books touch me more than others because of personal connections that may not be obvious. I found two such books about Burundi along with some welcome lighter fare to remind me that humans, no matter how unhappy, can still find joy in connection.
Small Country by Gaël Faye fictionalizes the author’s childhood in Burundi. This is one of those books with a personal connection. Not only is it beautifully written, engaging, with the innocence of its book loving child narrator, but it reminds me of my husband’s stories of growing up in war torn Lebanon. Like Lebanon, Burundi is a lovely country and Faye’s delightful prose allows us to get to know the attraction of Burundi while still experiencing bursts of pain as horrific events break into a childhood. I read Small Country on Overdrive from the LA County Library. It’s available in many other forms and even in 36 languages, illustrating its universal appeal.
I have to admit, I took a break after Small Country and before Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder. During that time, I listened to a Great Courses series of lectures on Understanding Cultural and Human Geography – available in Overdrive Audiobook from the LA County Library. The reason I delayed Kidder’s book (also available on Overdrive) is because I knew it was going to dive much deeper into the civil war in Burundi. I wasn’t looking forward to it. What I didn’t expect was the additional personal and professional connections I made with this book.
Strength in What Remains is the true story of a Burundian medical student who flees the civil war in Burundi, then the genocide in Rwanda, and makes it to America to sleep in Central Park and deliver groceries. This was my first connection. When I was a child, Vietnamese refugees moved into my northern California neighborhood. If my childhood memories are correct, the father in the family held a PhD and had been a university professor in Vietnam, but here in the United States could only find a job as a gardener for our local hospital. This was my first experience in learning that no matter how hard you work and how qualified you are, factors outside your control can keep you from succeeding.
What I really like about Kidder’s book is that it moves beyond the assumption that when you are physically safe, the story is over. Kidder does a root cause analysis on what it took for the Burundian refugee to move forward and make meaning in his life. These factors include not just his own determination but systems of support. This led to my second connection with the book – the work of public health with inequities. More on that to follow.
Then Kidder provides another root cause analysis, the roots of what happened in Burundi. Kidder reports that Burundi was different than Rwanda. His evaluation is complex, but I particularly noticed that the genocide in Burundi was driven by fear. Teachers killed their students, priests killed their parishioners, and they did this because they believed they needed to strike first in order to save themselves.
This led to my third connection with the book – the shared belief between some police officers and some in the black community that they need to strike first to save themselves. I stand with my black friends and family asking for reform. I stand with my healthcare colleagues asking for tools to address the healthcare inequities faced by people of color. I sympathize with my police officer friends who live in fear – like all of us who work for imperfect systems, they don’t deserve to be demonized.
I work for an imperfect system – healthcare. I remember when it was first reported that many people die due to medical errors. Many healthcare professionals felt anger and hurt because they felt they were being blamed for those deaths. I see similar anger and hurt in the law enforcement community. But progress is being made in the medical profession and I believe that progress can be made in the law enforcement profession.
Of the many ways that the healthcare industry has been improving safety, I’ll point out two – High Reliability and Just Culture. For anyone who is interested in learning more about how they work in healthcare, for High Reliability start with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality outline at https://www.psnet.ahrq.gov/primer/high-reliability. For Just Culture, see https://www.justculture.healthcare/. The key to Just Culture is recognizing the difference between human error, at-risk behavior, and reckless behavior, which I think will also be key in moving forward with police reform. System change requires fixing the system, not blaming the people in the process.
Am I the only person who reads about Burundi and thinks of injustice everywhere and especially in front of me right now? No, Kidder discusses this in his talk at the 2009 Miami Book Fair International found at: https://www.c-span.org/video/?289995-7/strength-remains. I will leave the final words on the struggle in Burundi and our own struggle to leave behind the idea that we have earned our privilege to him.
Coffee and Music
As I mentioned earlier, humans, no matter how unhappy, can still find joy in connection. For the coffee drinkers, this might be the place to sit down with a cup of coffee and experience the music of Burundi. Search your favorite web browser for Burundi coffee and you will have many options to experience Burundi’s major export. For more information see: https://espressocoffeeguide.com/gourmet-coffee/arabian-and-african-coffees/burundi-coffee/
Drums are important in Burundi and I enjoyed the presentation of Royal Burundi Drums at the 20th International Folk Festival found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85hiOJli0Gs. From there you can click around to find more Burundi drummer videos.
I also enjoyed the choir music of the Muco W’Imana Choir. Start here and there are many more options: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6Ie0dXlTM0.
As always, The Crazy Tourist lists the best places to visit at: https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-to-visit-in-burundi/. When this pandemic is over, you might want to plan travel to Burundi using your local travel advisor. Shout out to my favorite travel advisor, Kaitlin Darnell at Laura's Travel in Redlands. May the travel industry survive and thrive - may we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace and health to flourish in Burundi and throughout the world.
Photo Credit: Thomas Woodtli at
Comments