Burundi

The "traditional huts" at the National Museum in Bujumbura.

The nice beaches of Lake Tanganyika.

Emmy posing on the beach of Lake Tanganyika.

A crocodille getting ready to eat a guinea pig at the National Museum.



Emmy and I enjoying our New Year's out on the beach.



            “Without peace in Burundi, there is no peace in Rwanda.  Without peace in Rwanda, there is no peace in Burundi.” – common proverb on the relation of the two nations

Last month I took a trip with my Rwandan friend Emmy to the country of Burundi, where we stayed in the center of Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi.  The capital is only a six hour drive south of Kigali, so we finally decided to take a long weekend and visit.  I’ve wanted to travel there for quite some time because Burundi is a sister country to Rwanda.  In fact, before Rwanda’s independence from colonial Belgian rule, Rwanda and Burundi were jointly administered as the Rwanda-Urundi colony.  It’s great to see two very similar countries (similar climates, similar people, similar history) and observe how they turn out with different governments.

First of all, Burundi has a different, laid back culture.  Burundians are not on a clock and productivity is low.  Corruption is much higher, and government involvement in the basic aspects of Burundian life is missing.  The result: Burundi was rated 185 out of 187 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index (only the Congo and Niger rated lower).  It’s obvious everywhere: the money is torn to pieces, roads are in terrible shape, few nice places to stay or eat, garbage everywhere, etc.  It’s simply depressing.  Compared to Burundi, Rwanda is making vast strides in development.  Visiting these two countries side by side shows how effective government can make a country grow and develop, while a bad government brings countries back in time. 

This is a startling contrast to how things were.  In 1995, Rwanda was the worst country in the world with the average Rwandan living on 20 cents a day.  The infrastructure was in tatters, and security was very fragile.  Burundi beat out Rwanda on every level of quality of life.  Since that time, Burundi has gone backwards and Rwanda is moving forward quickly. 

Another main interesting difference between Rwanda and Burundi is the ethnic classifications.  In Rwanda, there are no Hutus and Tutsis, just Rwandans.  It’s illegal to speak in ethnic terms.  However, in Burundi you can speak openly about Hutus and Tutsis.  Both countries have had horrible times of ethnic-based violence since their independence in the early 1960s.  One country wants to move forward without these labels, while the other chooses to openly discuss it. 

While the countries may share a common thread, their futures seem to be laid on very separate tracks.  Enjoy the pictures.