Today was our day to depart from Burundi. We met Bishop Eraste for breakfast at 7:30 am – a meal which included a “Seasonal Fruit” plate. It contained a selection of all or most of the currently available local fruit. There was a miniature banana, a small green orange, half a green lemon, a Prune de Japon, a piece of Mango, a piece of Papaya and a section of Pineapple. It seemed a very fitting last meal for our stay, presenting us with a taste of the various flavours of the place – symbolic of the experience we have had over the last two weeks. While we have made some new friends and learned a great deal about life in Muyinga and Burundi, it was also in some ways just a taste of what life is really like in this part of the world.
As our flight did not leave until nearly 2 pm we managed to fit in a number of things on our way to the airport. We stopped at the Anglican Cathedral in Bujumbura and viewed the new building that is being erected; the old one is no where near big enough to accommodate the size of the congregation we are told. We then visited a “community centre” where we met with the director of FHI in Burundi – folks who are doing particular work with HIV/AIDS education. They are encouraging the local churches to take a greater hand in this work, and the Anglican Church – Muyinga included – is doing its best to take up the challenge.
We then visited a friend of Bishop Eraste’s who is the manager of one of the larger banks in Bujumbura – and which has a branch in Muyinga, where Eraste has an account for the Diocese. We discovered that all three of his children have done their university education in Canada – two in Montreal and one in Ottawa, and discussed some logistical things about how funds can be transferred more efficiently (and with less cost) to projects in Muyinga.
We then made our way across the city and out to the Risuzi River, which flows into Lake Tanganyica just West of Bujumbura. The plan had been to find a national park there and perhaps views some wild life along the river. Unfortunately that did not work out, but it was a lovely drive to the Congolese border and back.
The airport departure was thankfully uneventful – although it does take a bit longer, with more check points for passports, customs and visa checks than we are used to in Canada. Departure was on time - although our tickets made no mention of the stop in Kigali, Rwanda which took place along the way. It was not a problem as it reduced our waiting time in Nairobi from 7.5 hours to 5.5 hours. As I write this we are sitting in Nairobi airport awaiting our night flight to London.
Muyinga and Burundi have been quite an experience. The formation of the Companion Link for the Diocese of Qu'Appelle will, I believe, be very good for us as we pursue the renewal of our mission and ministry in southern Saskatchewan. Although our contexts are very different, there are many things to be learnt from our brothers and sisters in Muyinga. There is very deep poverty here in the physical sense – but there is also a richness of faith, producing much joy in the midst of it. In Canada we have a great deal of wealth – but very often with a poverty of faith that diminishes our joy in Christ and robs us of peace. Travel fatigue makes it difficult to reflect on all this very fully at the moment, but I know that the next few weeks and months will be a time of ongoing learning as we grow together in God’s mission to our broken world.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Muyinga, Burundi Trip – December 7, 2009
Today was an early start as we departed Muyinga for Bujumbura. After a 6:30 am breakfast, we made our farewells to Consolate, the Bigirimana children and the family and household staff of the Bishop before heading out.
As always, we began by praying for God’s guidance and protection before departure – and thankfully had an uneventful trip. Being uneventful, we could enjoy the scenery and take lots of pictures of both the views and the various small towns and market stalls along the way.
Once in Bujumbura we visited the Provincial (National) Office of the Anglican Church of Burundi. We met the various staff and were informed about the programs they run: HIV/AIDS, Development, Mothers’ Union, etc. They have a lovely office space, and are currently planning to build on their adjoining land. This project will include a conference centre with residences, a dining hall, an internet café and offices – as well as an apartment building to provide income to help support the Church’s ministry. They have a fair bit of fundraising to do before they are ready to build.
After the Provincial Office we moved on to some shopping to find the requisite souvenirs for ourselves and friends and family. We visited the market – it is really something else. The masses of people, stalls crammed in with barely room to pass between them – much of it in a covered warehouse – with the smells of raw fish, raw meet, wonderful fresh veggies and fruit and all the sights and sounds that go with it all. Many, many items can be purchased here – from fabric to dishes to clothing. I am not a shopper – but I suppose it was good to experience the market; thankfully it was mercifully short. We then spent a few minutes in a much more pleasant set of outdoor shops, and a lovely RC bookstore.
For lunch we were taken to a beach front resort hotel. It was exceptionally lovely, with a magnificent white sand beach on Lake Tanganyica. Interestingly, there were very few people there. Twelve years of civil war have gutted the tourist industry it would seem. Perhaps with a few more years of stability more folk will venture to visit. The fresh caught fish from the lake made a delicious lunch.
We returned to Bujumbura to drop off Rosemary, the lovely Englishwoman who works for the Province of Burundi as a communications person. She had spent both our first and last few days with us in Muyinga, taking pictures and documenting the visit for the Burundi Church and for Muyinga. She was a great help for us during our visit, giving us good information and guidance upon our arrival and helping us make our way through some of the final events of our visit.
We had a couple of hours to relax at the hotel, before attending a reception that Bishop Eraste and Rosemary put together for various Canadian and British folk in Bujumbura, along with folk from the Provincial Office. We had some good conversations about the state of the church in Burundi, about the way to proceed with development projects and various other bits and pieces. We also met some wonderful folk, most of them in Burundi with various NGO’s doing work to help build the country. A wonderful evening all around.
As always, we began by praying for God’s guidance and protection before departure – and thankfully had an uneventful trip. Being uneventful, we could enjoy the scenery and take lots of pictures of both the views and the various small towns and market stalls along the way.
Once in Bujumbura we visited the Provincial (National) Office of the Anglican Church of Burundi. We met the various staff and were informed about the programs they run: HIV/AIDS, Development, Mothers’ Union, etc. They have a lovely office space, and are currently planning to build on their adjoining land. This project will include a conference centre with residences, a dining hall, an internet café and offices – as well as an apartment building to provide income to help support the Church’s ministry. They have a fair bit of fundraising to do before they are ready to build.
After the Provincial Office we moved on to some shopping to find the requisite souvenirs for ourselves and friends and family. We visited the market – it is really something else. The masses of people, stalls crammed in with barely room to pass between them – much of it in a covered warehouse – with the smells of raw fish, raw meet, wonderful fresh veggies and fruit and all the sights and sounds that go with it all. Many, many items can be purchased here – from fabric to dishes to clothing. I am not a shopper – but I suppose it was good to experience the market; thankfully it was mercifully short. We then spent a few minutes in a much more pleasant set of outdoor shops, and a lovely RC bookstore.
For lunch we were taken to a beach front resort hotel. It was exceptionally lovely, with a magnificent white sand beach on Lake Tanganyica. Interestingly, there were very few people there. Twelve years of civil war have gutted the tourist industry it would seem. Perhaps with a few more years of stability more folk will venture to visit. The fresh caught fish from the lake made a delicious lunch.
We returned to Bujumbura to drop off Rosemary, the lovely Englishwoman who works for the Province of Burundi as a communications person. She had spent both our first and last few days with us in Muyinga, taking pictures and documenting the visit for the Burundi Church and for Muyinga. She was a great help for us during our visit, giving us good information and guidance upon our arrival and helping us make our way through some of the final events of our visit.
We had a couple of hours to relax at the hotel, before attending a reception that Bishop Eraste and Rosemary put together for various Canadian and British folk in Bujumbura, along with folk from the Provincial Office. We had some good conversations about the state of the church in Burundi, about the way to proceed with development projects and various other bits and pieces. We also met some wonderful folk, most of them in Burundi with various NGO’s doing work to help build the country. A wonderful evening all around.
Muyinga, Burundi Trip – December 6, 2009
Today was our last day in Muyinga and we celebrated with the people of Mukone Parish – which is also the diocesan Cathedral Church of St. Andrew’s. It is in the city of Muyinga. When we arrived we discovered that the stones out front and along the driveway of the Cathedral had been painted white – apparently a special gesture for honoured guests. The doors were decorated with greenery and banana leaves – with purple flowers interwoven.
This was the first parish visit where we did not go to a separate house to vest before the liturgy as St. Andrew’s has a vestry within its walls. It may sound like a trivial thing to comment on, but it reflects the realities of the vast majority of the smaller and simpler churches in the rest of the diocese.
As we were vesting we could hear the sounds of the congregation, led by a choir, singing songs of praise. It is not something you say about Anglican Churches very often, but the place was really hopping. The sounds of joyful worship were inspiring and uplifting as we entered the sanctuary from a side door.
The usual greetings took place with introductions for all those visiting as part of the official party. I am given time at each of these and expected to speak for some while about Qu’Appelle and what it is like, and about our family. Always I bring greetings from their brothers and sisters in Qu’Appelle – and greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ always get a large round of applause. The good people of Muyinga seem to take great pleasure in my description of our children – specifically the part where I hold up my hand to show that Jeremy is slightly taller than I am, and then that Asha is taller than her mother, and then that Kyla is just as tall as her mother. They also always seem to react to the fact that the water is frozen in Qu’Appelle at this time of year, that our Diocese is almost twice as large as all of Burundi and that it took about 41 hours of travelling to get here.
The singing and dancing was, if it is possible, even better today than in previous services. The songs were well rehearsed and the danced choreographed carefully.
An additional feature of today’s service was a call for all of the children and mothers with little ones to come forward for the Bishop of Qu’Appelle to pray for them and give them a blessing. It was announced that this would take place right after the next choir song – and since it was the first I had heard of it, I appreciated the forewarning. During the song I was approached by their very capable young deacon, Alexi, who handed me a handwritten note from Bishop Eraste reminding me to include in my prayers the families, orphans, homeless children, sick and disabled children. I was grateful for the reminder, and it also caused me to appreciate the wonderful organic way that the liturgy unfolds here. When the moment came for the children and new mothers to come forward there was a mass of seventy or eighty who lined up ten deep along the front of the church. I prayed with Eraste translating.
After the sermon we had the formal signing of the Companion Diocese Covenant. This went over very well and was treated as a major event in the life of the Muyinga Diocese. The Church in Muyinga takes this very seriously – and considers that in this partnership we are truly one Church family. Diocese of Qu’Appelle folk – I am bringing back pictures of your new family.
After the service there was another lovely feast – a party in Burundian terms. This provided occasion for the final farewell speeches, as well as some of the actual farewells with folks that we won’t see again in person for some time. As one pastor remarked however, though distance may separate us, we will remain one in the Holy Spirit.
We returned to our lodgings and this evening had an extended time of conversation and celebration with Bishop Eraste, Consolate, their children and the various folk who have helped out at their home and with us, to make our stay comfortable.
This was the first parish visit where we did not go to a separate house to vest before the liturgy as St. Andrew’s has a vestry within its walls. It may sound like a trivial thing to comment on, but it reflects the realities of the vast majority of the smaller and simpler churches in the rest of the diocese.
As we were vesting we could hear the sounds of the congregation, led by a choir, singing songs of praise. It is not something you say about Anglican Churches very often, but the place was really hopping. The sounds of joyful worship were inspiring and uplifting as we entered the sanctuary from a side door.
The usual greetings took place with introductions for all those visiting as part of the official party. I am given time at each of these and expected to speak for some while about Qu’Appelle and what it is like, and about our family. Always I bring greetings from their brothers and sisters in Qu’Appelle – and greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ always get a large round of applause. The good people of Muyinga seem to take great pleasure in my description of our children – specifically the part where I hold up my hand to show that Jeremy is slightly taller than I am, and then that Asha is taller than her mother, and then that Kyla is just as tall as her mother. They also always seem to react to the fact that the water is frozen in Qu’Appelle at this time of year, that our Diocese is almost twice as large as all of Burundi and that it took about 41 hours of travelling to get here.
The singing and dancing was, if it is possible, even better today than in previous services. The songs were well rehearsed and the danced choreographed carefully.
An additional feature of today’s service was a call for all of the children and mothers with little ones to come forward for the Bishop of Qu’Appelle to pray for them and give them a blessing. It was announced that this would take place right after the next choir song – and since it was the first I had heard of it, I appreciated the forewarning. During the song I was approached by their very capable young deacon, Alexi, who handed me a handwritten note from Bishop Eraste reminding me to include in my prayers the families, orphans, homeless children, sick and disabled children. I was grateful for the reminder, and it also caused me to appreciate the wonderful organic way that the liturgy unfolds here. When the moment came for the children and new mothers to come forward there was a mass of seventy or eighty who lined up ten deep along the front of the church. I prayed with Eraste translating.
After the sermon we had the formal signing of the Companion Diocese Covenant. This went over very well and was treated as a major event in the life of the Muyinga Diocese. The Church in Muyinga takes this very seriously – and considers that in this partnership we are truly one Church family. Diocese of Qu’Appelle folk – I am bringing back pictures of your new family.
After the service there was another lovely feast – a party in Burundian terms. This provided occasion for the final farewell speeches, as well as some of the actual farewells with folks that we won’t see again in person for some time. As one pastor remarked however, though distance may separate us, we will remain one in the Holy Spirit.
We returned to our lodgings and this evening had an extended time of conversation and celebration with Bishop Eraste, Consolate, their children and the various folk who have helped out at their home and with us, to make our stay comfortable.
Muyinga, Burundi Trip – December 5, 2009
Saturdays and Sundays seem to be days for the bishop to make parish visits – and so today, as last Saturday, we spent the whole day in a visit to a single parish. We visited Bihogo Church in Rukinzo Parish – a smaller church a short distance from Muyinga, and very near to the Congolese Refugee camp we had visited on November 27th.
We arrived a bit late and were led directly to the small mud-brick hut around the back in order to vest for the service. I had not packed any vestments for this trip – they are something of a nuisance to add to already over packed baggage. As it turned out, Bishop Eraste is my size and provided a Cassock, rochet and chasuble for me to wear at all of the services we attended.
The pattern for this service was pretty much the same as the others we have participated in – with the exception that this one included Confirmation and Holy Communion. There was much singing with 3 or 4 choirs taking turns. I have said in other posts that they “sing and dance” – the choirs employ rhythmic steps back and forth, and sometimes in patterns, with arm and hand gestures added. Some, I understand, don’t really consider this dancing in the full sense.
At the confirmation the candidates were called forward and the bishop, opening a copy of the catechism in Kirundi, randomly selected questions and expected them to have memorized the answers. A few responses were clearly not entirely to his liking, but after the recitation of the creed he proceeded. I was asked to join in, laying on hands alongside him as we confirmed the 20 candidates in pairs. I was told that this was a very small confirmation indeed; 100 to 200 are not infrequent.
The sermon was placed after the confirmation and the reception of the new Mothers’ Union members, and following the offertory but before the Communion. At non-communion liturgies is comes almost at the end. Once again Bishop Eraste felt that there was a response needed to the sermon and so invited anyone who had things that needed confessing or healing to raise their hands, and then asked me to pray over them and bless them as a group.
Communion had a couple of differences for us. They do not use wine, but what appears to be a sweet fruit beverage. They also have moved to a different method of receiving communion; the administrator washes their hands before beginning and then picks up the host, intincts, and places it on the communicants hands saying “the Body and Blood of Christ.” It is a bit sticky, but also does address the ongoing concern about passing on germs as no one touches the wafers on the paten or the wine except the priest who has washed in advance.
The service was about three hours long , although I’ve found that by not being concerned about time, you can hardly believe that more than an hour or so has passed. The one concern on these longer services is that you do have to make sure you do a bathroom visit before leaving home, because it is a lot of hours until the next oportunilty.
We ended our parish visitation with another wonderful meal Burundi style and then headed home for the evening.
We arrived a bit late and were led directly to the small mud-brick hut around the back in order to vest for the service. I had not packed any vestments for this trip – they are something of a nuisance to add to already over packed baggage. As it turned out, Bishop Eraste is my size and provided a Cassock, rochet and chasuble for me to wear at all of the services we attended.
The pattern for this service was pretty much the same as the others we have participated in – with the exception that this one included Confirmation and Holy Communion. There was much singing with 3 or 4 choirs taking turns. I have said in other posts that they “sing and dance” – the choirs employ rhythmic steps back and forth, and sometimes in patterns, with arm and hand gestures added. Some, I understand, don’t really consider this dancing in the full sense.
At the confirmation the candidates were called forward and the bishop, opening a copy of the catechism in Kirundi, randomly selected questions and expected them to have memorized the answers. A few responses were clearly not entirely to his liking, but after the recitation of the creed he proceeded. I was asked to join in, laying on hands alongside him as we confirmed the 20 candidates in pairs. I was told that this was a very small confirmation indeed; 100 to 200 are not infrequent.
The sermon was placed after the confirmation and the reception of the new Mothers’ Union members, and following the offertory but before the Communion. At non-communion liturgies is comes almost at the end. Once again Bishop Eraste felt that there was a response needed to the sermon and so invited anyone who had things that needed confessing or healing to raise their hands, and then asked me to pray over them and bless them as a group.
Communion had a couple of differences for us. They do not use wine, but what appears to be a sweet fruit beverage. They also have moved to a different method of receiving communion; the administrator washes their hands before beginning and then picks up the host, intincts, and places it on the communicants hands saying “the Body and Blood of Christ.” It is a bit sticky, but also does address the ongoing concern about passing on germs as no one touches the wafers on the paten or the wine except the priest who has washed in advance.
The service was about three hours long , although I’ve found that by not being concerned about time, you can hardly believe that more than an hour or so has passed. The one concern on these longer services is that you do have to make sure you do a bathroom visit before leaving home, because it is a lot of hours until the next oportunilty.
We ended our parish visitation with another wonderful meal Burundi style and then headed home for the evening.
Muyinga, Burundi Trip – December 4, 2009
The Anglican Church in Burundi began first as a mission coming down from Rwanda in the north. For many years it was a part of other provinces of the Church – connected with Uganda, Rwanda, and parts of the Congo at various times. Its establishment is traced back 74 years. At one point the whole of Burundi was a single diocese, and, we are told, Buye was its centre. The town of Buye itself is very small, but it is also just north of the city of Ngozi. We visited there today to meet with Bishop Sixbert Macumi and were given a tour of some of their ministry sites. Bishop Sixbert, along with Bishop Eraste were both at the school for new bishops at the same time as I attended it in January of 2007 in Canterbury. The Diocese of Buye is in a companion diocese relationship with Edmonton.
We arrived in pouring rain and managed to duck inside the Diocesan headquarters for a quick tour. These new offices are in the city of Ngozi. We then toured the main parish church in Ngozi and got a first hand look at a “guest house” under construction on that site. Burundian construction techniques are an interesting study in themselves; bricks and mortar are the most common construction materials. However, the bricks can be made of either fired clay, or just sun-baked mud. Likewise the mortar can be actual cement, or clay rich earth that has been worked into the correct consistency with water. The use of mud bricks and mortar requires the speedy addition of a roof, as rain quickly begins to dissolve the earthen structures. Joists for the roofs are often an approximation of a two by four, but unaltered logs are also used at times. The roofs themselves can be made of grass, clay tiles, or iron sheeting. The iron sheets are the preferred method for their combination of strength, durability, simplicity and cost - although on the latter point, cost does vary depending on the quality you wish to purchase, and the prices rise the farther you are from the capital, Bujumbura.
Next, we drove the short distance (6 – 7 kms) up the hill to Buye. Buye was established by the earliest missionaries in the area. They acquired what appears to be an entire, rather large hilltop, and built a Cathedral, a school, a hospital and a bishop’s residence. There is now also a Bible school and student housing. The setting is magnificent with wonderful views all around. An interesting feature of Burundian church facilities, at least in our experience is the wonderful ability to combine church activities with things like, say, agriculture. In Buye, the bishop’s compound includes pens for a half a dozen cows, a small banana plantation, and vegetable gardens. The rest of the church grounds are also well utilized in growing beans, corn, avocadoes, Soya beans, potatoes and various other crops. Each of the student residences on site also has a full garden plot and students are expected to grow a significant amount of their own food.
The hospital, which was originally built by the Church, was taken over by the government some years ago. The current government is asking the churches to take back responsibility for many of the schools and hospitals – and are returning these facilities to the Diocese of Buye is in process.
The school is a secondary school with about 500 students. We arrived just as lunch was finishing. Because it was exam period, the refectory tables had been moved out onto the central grassy area of the school to make space for examinations, which meant that there were crowds of teenagers milling about waiting for the afternoon sessions to begin. We visited the school office and found that because they had some electrical issues, the secretaries use old manual typewriters and were busily trying to make copies of documents on carbon paper (for those who are not old enough to know what that is you may need to ask your parents).
After a lovely lunch at a local restaurant and a final tour of bits of the Church’s ventures in Ngozi, we returned to Muyinga.
We arrived in pouring rain and managed to duck inside the Diocesan headquarters for a quick tour. These new offices are in the city of Ngozi. We then toured the main parish church in Ngozi and got a first hand look at a “guest house” under construction on that site. Burundian construction techniques are an interesting study in themselves; bricks and mortar are the most common construction materials. However, the bricks can be made of either fired clay, or just sun-baked mud. Likewise the mortar can be actual cement, or clay rich earth that has been worked into the correct consistency with water. The use of mud bricks and mortar requires the speedy addition of a roof, as rain quickly begins to dissolve the earthen structures. Joists for the roofs are often an approximation of a two by four, but unaltered logs are also used at times. The roofs themselves can be made of grass, clay tiles, or iron sheeting. The iron sheets are the preferred method for their combination of strength, durability, simplicity and cost - although on the latter point, cost does vary depending on the quality you wish to purchase, and the prices rise the farther you are from the capital, Bujumbura.
Next, we drove the short distance (6 – 7 kms) up the hill to Buye. Buye was established by the earliest missionaries in the area. They acquired what appears to be an entire, rather large hilltop, and built a Cathedral, a school, a hospital and a bishop’s residence. There is now also a Bible school and student housing. The setting is magnificent with wonderful views all around. An interesting feature of Burundian church facilities, at least in our experience is the wonderful ability to combine church activities with things like, say, agriculture. In Buye, the bishop’s compound includes pens for a half a dozen cows, a small banana plantation, and vegetable gardens. The rest of the church grounds are also well utilized in growing beans, corn, avocadoes, Soya beans, potatoes and various other crops. Each of the student residences on site also has a full garden plot and students are expected to grow a significant amount of their own food.
The hospital, which was originally built by the Church, was taken over by the government some years ago. The current government is asking the churches to take back responsibility for many of the schools and hospitals – and are returning these facilities to the Diocese of Buye is in process.
The school is a secondary school with about 500 students. We arrived just as lunch was finishing. Because it was exam period, the refectory tables had been moved out onto the central grassy area of the school to make space for examinations, which meant that there were crowds of teenagers milling about waiting for the afternoon sessions to begin. We visited the school office and found that because they had some electrical issues, the secretaries use old manual typewriters and were busily trying to make copies of documents on carbon paper (for those who are not old enough to know what that is you may need to ask your parents).
After a lovely lunch at a local restaurant and a final tour of bits of the Church’s ventures in Ngozi, we returned to Muyinga.
Muyinga, Burundi Trip – December 3, 2009
Today’s schedule was something of a variety pack. We began by driving to the Diocese of Muyinga’s environmental project. We followed a small dirt road which we had not been on to this point. Many of the roads here a very rough, and we have observed on several occasions that the cars Vicki and I drive in Canada wouldn’t make it far on them at all. Bishop Eraste’s car is a Toyota Land Cruiser – and while it has not failed us yet, it quite clearly takes a beating. Today’s track had stretches that made driving seem much like a fairway ride.
The environmental project is all about planting trees. The diocese has acquired seedlings of Eucalyptus and Greveria trees which are being tended while they grow to the right size for transplanting. The seedlings will be planted around the whole of Kavuruga Lake, a modest sized lake within sight of Muyinga (although a very distant sight) as well as on some church properties. Apparently there had at one time been many more trees in this area, but the civil war saw most of them cut down. The project provides some employment for those looking after the nursery, and also addresses one of the priority concerns of the community.
We continued on from the nursery to the small community of Nyarunazi. Here we met with many of the local church folk, their pastors, evangelists and catechists. We were welcomed, sang some hymns, brought greetings from our respective communities and spoke about the developing Companion Diocese linkage between Muyinga and Qu’Appelle. After exiting the church building we toured another of the diocesan projects: a banana plantation right on the grounds of the church. Banana’s are a staple in the diet of Burundians and come in several forms: small sweet ones, larger starchy ones for cooking, and large sweet ones. The plantation will not only raise food, but will, through the sale of the bananas, produce some income for the church. We learned, while touring the plantation, that in many places here the soil requires fertilizer to produce reasonable crops. The main form of fertilizer is manure. The plan for the bananas in Nyarunazi is to purchase some cows to graze under the banana trees. The cows will be milked and, eventually will be used for meat. The manure will fertilize the bananas. It is a layered system which makes good use of the small amount of land that is in the church’s keeping.
After lunch we visited a dam on Kavuruga Lake – and saw a probable site for launching canoes. The Diocese of Muyinga is in the process of beginning a recreational rehab program for those maimed and disabled in the civil war and others in similar circumstances. A centre will be established in the town of Muyinga itself, but part of the program will involve canoeing. The canoes will be kept in Muyinga, but the plan is to transport them, along with the disabled folk, to a specially designed launch point. We saw the spot where they have in mind for this. The project is to get underway in the new year.
After the dam, we paid a short visit to the Batwa. Batwa is a local term which refers to the pygmies – or first aboriginal people of the area. They are very little different than other Burundians in the area in most ways, except that they desire to keep doing things the old way – generally preferring to live in reed and grass huts, to do things the traditional way, and to not send their children to school.
Dinner this evening was at the residence of the Roman Catholic Bishop. I believe I mentioned earlier that Bishop Eraste and Bishop Joachim (RC) are good friends. In our first meeting we had touched briefly on the possibilities of joint projects between the two dioceses. Bishop Joachim put on a magnificent banquet for us – a multi course meal with wonderful company and lovely food.
I don’t have a scale to step on, but by now I believe I must be up about 10 pounds.
The environmental project is all about planting trees. The diocese has acquired seedlings of Eucalyptus and Greveria trees which are being tended while they grow to the right size for transplanting. The seedlings will be planted around the whole of Kavuruga Lake, a modest sized lake within sight of Muyinga (although a very distant sight) as well as on some church properties. Apparently there had at one time been many more trees in this area, but the civil war saw most of them cut down. The project provides some employment for those looking after the nursery, and also addresses one of the priority concerns of the community.
We continued on from the nursery to the small community of Nyarunazi. Here we met with many of the local church folk, their pastors, evangelists and catechists. We were welcomed, sang some hymns, brought greetings from our respective communities and spoke about the developing Companion Diocese linkage between Muyinga and Qu’Appelle. After exiting the church building we toured another of the diocesan projects: a banana plantation right on the grounds of the church. Banana’s are a staple in the diet of Burundians and come in several forms: small sweet ones, larger starchy ones for cooking, and large sweet ones. The plantation will not only raise food, but will, through the sale of the bananas, produce some income for the church. We learned, while touring the plantation, that in many places here the soil requires fertilizer to produce reasonable crops. The main form of fertilizer is manure. The plan for the bananas in Nyarunazi is to purchase some cows to graze under the banana trees. The cows will be milked and, eventually will be used for meat. The manure will fertilize the bananas. It is a layered system which makes good use of the small amount of land that is in the church’s keeping.
After lunch we visited a dam on Kavuruga Lake – and saw a probable site for launching canoes. The Diocese of Muyinga is in the process of beginning a recreational rehab program for those maimed and disabled in the civil war and others in similar circumstances. A centre will be established in the town of Muyinga itself, but part of the program will involve canoeing. The canoes will be kept in Muyinga, but the plan is to transport them, along with the disabled folk, to a specially designed launch point. We saw the spot where they have in mind for this. The project is to get underway in the new year.
After the dam, we paid a short visit to the Batwa. Batwa is a local term which refers to the pygmies – or first aboriginal people of the area. They are very little different than other Burundians in the area in most ways, except that they desire to keep doing things the old way – generally preferring to live in reed and grass huts, to do things the traditional way, and to not send their children to school.
Dinner this evening was at the residence of the Roman Catholic Bishop. I believe I mentioned earlier that Bishop Eraste and Bishop Joachim (RC) are good friends. In our first meeting we had touched briefly on the possibilities of joint projects between the two dioceses. Bishop Joachim put on a magnificent banquet for us – a multi course meal with wonderful company and lovely food.
I don’t have a scale to step on, but by now I believe I must be up about 10 pounds.
Muyinga, Burundi Trip – December 2, 2009
Today we made a trip to Gitega. Gitega is the second largest city in Burundi and located fairly close to the geographical centre of the country. Muyinga is perhaps the poorest area of Burundi; Gitega gives the appearance, in relative terms, of being substantially better off. Gitega is where Bishop Eraste and Consolate met and were married, and where he worked as a parish priest and diocesan secretary before being elected bishop of Muyinga.
We travelled fairly directly south along one of the few good roads here. It is being prepared for paving, so most of it is well compacted with layers of clay rich earth. Part of the road was under construction and at times we wound our way through piles of gravel, clay, rocks and cement. It was also the first time we have seen heavy equipment being used: backhoes, dump trucks, graders and the heavy compacting rollers we see on Canadian roads during construction. An interesting feature of Burundi highways is that they build modestly deep drainage trenches along the sides, with carefully constructed outfalls, culverts and channels to keep the effects of heavy rainfall from undermining the roads. These trenches are built by hand, and constructed of rocks and cement in a carefully laid straight line with the edges smoothed and finished nicely. In Canada we would consider this rather fancy and expensive stone work for a highway. Here it is relatively cheap as the wages for labourers are not high. Also the stones are quarried locally and shaped on site by the labourers with simple hammers. We are told that it doing it this way is not only effective, but also provides a basic income for many who would otherwise receive nothing.
The trip from Muyinga to Gitega passes through lovely farm lands. The usual small holdings of banana trees, cassava, beans, maize, sorghum, and some we still don’t quite recognize were in abundance, along with large stretches of rice growing in the valley bottoms. We crossed the Ruvubu River again as we neared our destination – though far enough upstream that it appeared markedly smaller.
In Gitega we visited the Diocesan Centre and Cathedral. We met the Bishop and his wife, and many of the staff, and toured their facilities. They have developed a very strong set of ministries over the 24 years that Bishop John has been their bishop.
We were then taken to the National Museum of Gitega which is a small but very informative and interesting collection of traditional artefacts. These included a model of a pre-colonial Burundian hut – specifically that of the monarch (Burundi was a monarchy up until the 1960’s), samples of the various vessels and baskets that were used, displays of original clothing, the range of spears, bows, clubs and other weapons used in hunting and warfare, litters for carrying important people, churns for making butter, the equipment used in making banana beer (an important drink in the traditional culture) and a variety of other household and religious objects. We also learned some pieces of Burundian culture – including that the first colonial invaders were German and arrived around 1896 and were then replaced by the Belgians after WWI. Their two great heroes are the son of their last King who led them to independence in 1962, and another leader who finally established democracy for them in the early 1990’s. Both of these leaders were assassinated.
After the museum visit our gracious hosts took us to a lovely hotel for lunch we said our farewells to Bishop John and his wife. Bishop Eraste and Consolate then took us to an orphanage that they helped to found some years ago and which they still help to fund and operate. There are many orphans in Burundi; one of the many tragic outcomes of the civil war and AIDS. Burundians have identified that raising these children and helping them to be socially integrated is an important responsibility for the country. Eraste and a group of nine others founded this orphanage as a response to that need. We met a few children on our visit – although most, happily, were at school. The facility includes sleeping quarters, an office, kitchen facilities (Burundi style), as well as large gardens for raising a number of crops and a small heard of cows. The staff were friendly and kind, and the children just like other children in Burundi; inquisitive, playful and willing to be engaged. They especially like having their pictures taken.
After the orphanage we had the privilege of visiting Eraste’s mother before making the journey back to Muyinga.
We travelled fairly directly south along one of the few good roads here. It is being prepared for paving, so most of it is well compacted with layers of clay rich earth. Part of the road was under construction and at times we wound our way through piles of gravel, clay, rocks and cement. It was also the first time we have seen heavy equipment being used: backhoes, dump trucks, graders and the heavy compacting rollers we see on Canadian roads during construction. An interesting feature of Burundi highways is that they build modestly deep drainage trenches along the sides, with carefully constructed outfalls, culverts and channels to keep the effects of heavy rainfall from undermining the roads. These trenches are built by hand, and constructed of rocks and cement in a carefully laid straight line with the edges smoothed and finished nicely. In Canada we would consider this rather fancy and expensive stone work for a highway. Here it is relatively cheap as the wages for labourers are not high. Also the stones are quarried locally and shaped on site by the labourers with simple hammers. We are told that it doing it this way is not only effective, but also provides a basic income for many who would otherwise receive nothing.
The trip from Muyinga to Gitega passes through lovely farm lands. The usual small holdings of banana trees, cassava, beans, maize, sorghum, and some we still don’t quite recognize were in abundance, along with large stretches of rice growing in the valley bottoms. We crossed the Ruvubu River again as we neared our destination – though far enough upstream that it appeared markedly smaller.
In Gitega we visited the Diocesan Centre and Cathedral. We met the Bishop and his wife, and many of the staff, and toured their facilities. They have developed a very strong set of ministries over the 24 years that Bishop John has been their bishop.
We were then taken to the National Museum of Gitega which is a small but very informative and interesting collection of traditional artefacts. These included a model of a pre-colonial Burundian hut – specifically that of the monarch (Burundi was a monarchy up until the 1960’s), samples of the various vessels and baskets that were used, displays of original clothing, the range of spears, bows, clubs and other weapons used in hunting and warfare, litters for carrying important people, churns for making butter, the equipment used in making banana beer (an important drink in the traditional culture) and a variety of other household and religious objects. We also learned some pieces of Burundian culture – including that the first colonial invaders were German and arrived around 1896 and were then replaced by the Belgians after WWI. Their two great heroes are the son of their last King who led them to independence in 1962, and another leader who finally established democracy for them in the early 1990’s. Both of these leaders were assassinated.
After the museum visit our gracious hosts took us to a lovely hotel for lunch we said our farewells to Bishop John and his wife. Bishop Eraste and Consolate then took us to an orphanage that they helped to found some years ago and which they still help to fund and operate. There are many orphans in Burundi; one of the many tragic outcomes of the civil war and AIDS. Burundians have identified that raising these children and helping them to be socially integrated is an important responsibility for the country. Eraste and a group of nine others founded this orphanage as a response to that need. We met a few children on our visit – although most, happily, were at school. The facility includes sleeping quarters, an office, kitchen facilities (Burundi style), as well as large gardens for raising a number of crops and a small heard of cows. The staff were friendly and kind, and the children just like other children in Burundi; inquisitive, playful and willing to be engaged. They especially like having their pictures taken.
After the orphanage we had the privilege of visiting Eraste’s mother before making the journey back to Muyinga.
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