Blogs from Burundi, Africa

After being taken to lunch by a Burundian customs officer we rode west towards the top of Lake Tanganyika and the capital of Bujumbura. Lush hillsides swept past us covered in an intricate patchwork of crops. People were everywhere. Bicycles passed loaded high with produce, other cyclists held on to trucks as they were pulled up hills, roadside stalls and brick kilns lined the road. At one point I passed two guys hand-sawing a massive log into planks with a saw that looked like it was from the 1800s. Each minute included moments of eye contact with half a dozen people. Sometimes I received wide mouthed stares, sometimes a friendly wave, and on more than one occasion a spontaneous dance. The corners kept coming and coming as we wound through the fertile hills. Ahead of me ... read more

Bujumbura When we planned this trip we updated ourselves on the safety situation in Burundi. All the travel advise we could find said that travelling in the country was not a great idea but the capital should be reasonably safe. So we initially decided not to venture outside of Bujumbura, Burundi's capital. We then thought two days in Burundi was going to be enough because Bujumbura does not have a great deal of attractions to keep us happy for longer than that. But when we arrived in Bujumbura we met up with, Justine. Justine is a Burundian and she said that the foreign ministry's travel recommendations are exaggerated and that it is quite safe to travel in Burundi as long as you don't walk around by yourself at night. So we decided to stay a little ... read more

The drive from Kigali to Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi took about 6 hours. For some reason, Burundi only allows tourists get a 3 day visa at the border for $40. To get a month visa, you must apply in advance and pay $90. It didn’t make much of a difference to me, as I only planned on spending a couple of days there, but it seems ridiculous that Burundi would try to hinder the few tourists to make the effort to get there. The drive through Burundi was quite spectacular. It was all winding roads through mountains and very rural land. We were stopped for a while just before Bujumbura, as the police tried to get a bribe out of the driver. On the bus, I met Lambert from Kigali, who spoke very good English. ... read more

N'Amahoro, After almost five months in the US, I've finally found my way back to Burundi for more research. Hooray! My favorite bit of news so far is that there's an "Acid Bug" (also known as "Nairobi Fly") infestation in Bujumbura. While they don't bite, they do secrete acid onto your skin if you touch them. Fantastic. If I develop blisters all over my body, at least I'll know where they came from. August As it turns out, I never blogged about my last month in Burundi. So, I will quickly catch everyone up. Most of August, was spent working in the prison, which I can only describe as both fascinating and emotionally draining. Mpimba prison is a rough place. One year, food shortages prompted the prisoners to riot and set the front building on fire ... read more

I'm lazy. The result is that I haven't blogged in a month... but I'm back! It's been an interesting few weeks, here in Bujumbura. One of the most fascinating things about my interviews is how people construct Burundi's past. I could probably group people into current political affiliations based on their renditions of history - who was responsible for most of the killing during the war, which rebel groups were better, who were the best and worst presidents, when the division between Hutus and Tutsis began... And, believe me, there are some very different ways to tell the history of Burundi. That's not so different from any of us, actually - the details we highlight from the past shape how we see and understand the world today. "A man's called a traitor or a liberator. A ... read more