In November 2021, African Road Operations Manager, Portia Manjengwa, Changemaker, David Clemy, Board member, Jeremy Stanley, and Communications consultant, Katie Garner, made a working trip to Burundi. They met with Evariste Ndikumana and the ASSEJEBA team, visited Batwa villages, and heard more about the incredible work that is happening amongst the Batwa people, thanks to ASSEJEBA and friends of African Road.
One of the great delights of this trip to Burundi, was experiencing it through the eyes of Portia Manjengwa, in her inaugural outing to the country. I had tried to explain in advance how much I love Burundi, my eyes and face blazing with excited energy. Burundi is one of the most fun, animated places I have ever visited. It’s really not the kind of report you’re supposed to give of a country widely held to be one of the poorest and most challenged in the world. The energy, the life force, is tangible, palpable, and the topography of Bujumbura being a large basin edging towards the lake, surrounded by hills and mountains creates an expanse of space, and crucially, incredible light.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me? Why didn’t anyone tell me that it is this beautiful? This is the best kept secret in Africa”, Portia’s exclamation compounding the delight of a return visit. That said, the absence of ’How to spend 24 hours in Bujumbura’ tourist guides is telling of the economic and political turmoil of the last few years, in fact, the last few decades.
We didn’t take the usual route from Bujumbura to the Batwa villages. The day before we had been taken by our leader, and African Road Changemaker, Evariste Ndikumana, to see ‘The Source of the Nile’.
The very mention of this had caused all manner of consternation, given that we had Ugandan, David Clemy in the group. A cursory Google of the source of the Nile claims Ethiopia (blue Nile) and Uganda (white Nile) as the fount – I knew this because our friend David, also an African Road Changemaker, had taken us to the source of the Nile in Uganda a few years ago. After a boat ride, African Road Executive Director, Kelly Bean and I had stood by a large, incredibly proud sign indicating that we were at the source of the Nile. And we had good reason to believe it, we were perched by a large body of water that appeared to be flowing in a sensible direction.
In contrast, the Burundian claim to the source of the Nile involved being guided through a gate that was generally kept locked, down some steps, to a dribble of water that emerged from a grey pipe in the wall, onto what can charitably be described as an extravagant bird bath. There was no other movement of water, in fact, no other water at all to be seen. For a good humoured team of Ugandan, Tanzanian, American, British, as well as our Burundian friends and leaders, this had a particularly wonderful sense of farce and delight, even if it was, as we suspected, not the source of the Nile.
This visit was followed by Burundian drumming, an incredible display of cultural brilliance, poise, and theatre. When I wasn’t entirely mesmerised by the rhythm and the incredible power of the drumming, I spent time wondering how many Pilates classes I would need to achieve that level of core strength. A lot.
And then, finally, the main purpose of our trip, and the incredible joy of visiting three beloved Batwa villages in Kayanza: Mwendo, Ndava, and Gahombo. A person is not supposed to have a favourite village, of course, all being wonderful, but given that it was the people of Ndava who rescued my memory card of photos a number of years ago now, they have a very special place in my heart.
These villages are a riot of colour and delight. As ever, being sung into a village is a slightly overwhelming experience, such joy, such talent, such beauty. Over years of having visited, the strength of the welcome has not diminished.
There is particular delight in recognising faces that are so familiar, in part because I have met and interviewed people before. I recalled Oscar, the chief of Mwendo, as he placed straw mats on the ground for us to sit on, and, because of the photos that I have taken, the women who have proudly received and displayed their ID cards to the camera. What is also strikingly visible is the change that has been made possible here, through steady progress, built on a foundation of the work of ASSEJEBA and long-term partnership.
There is no question that ID kits have made this possible. Legal rights can be measured by number, but also by the dignity and the honour that it bestows on a person, as they see themselves as a fully-fledged member of society. These are people who know that they can travel freely, seek work, participate in education, receive healthcare, and be recognised.
Added to this has been the faithful friendship of Bend Presbyterian church which, through their support of agriculture and education, have improved health and created opportunities. From owning nothing, to having rights and possessing land, these villages now have the capacity to farm to keep themselves alive, reaching three harvests a year to sustain their community.
Since I was last here, brick houses have emerged in Gahombo. Nine built, and the tenth under construction. Traditional round Batwa houses are incredibly beautiful, but with fire pits in the middle, and many, particularly in Gahombo, perched on steep terrain, they are at risk of easy destruction from the elements. Thanks to friends of African Road, houses have been built. People, their belongings, and crucially, their ID cards have been kept safe and dry.
We were sung out, again, arms raised in celebration, acknowledgement of the leadership of Evariste, and the long-term friendship that sustains them, that sustains all of us.
The three hour journey back is always one of exhilaration and exhaustion. A tire puncture kept it entertaining, as the contents of two cars piled into one, and we headed back to Bujumbura. Evariste, with his pedal to the metal, easily navigated the twisting roads that took us back to rest and a lively discussion of the events of the day.
Portia’s joy at visiting Burundi for the first time was substantial, but would have been made complete by the presence of Evariste and Grace’s new baby, Eva. She arrived the day after we left, on their wedding anniversary. We cannot wait to return.
Written by African Road long-term friend and consultant, Katie Garner, UK.