Building the Burundian American community
A week ago, I returned to Baltimore from a lively Burundian American event in Louisville, Kentucky. This one was in honor of Burundi's 56th Independence Day. For four years now, the youth organization we have come to know as Reunion257 has been planning and executing annual three-day events for all Burundian Americans and friends of Burundi. The events always take place during the Burundian Independence Day weekend, but they move from to city to city each year. The first three were in Atlanta, Phoenix, and Dallas, respectively.
This year, I was determined to be part of the celebration. I was invited to conduct a workshop on education and professional development. So there I was. There was a lot to see and a lot to learn, especially about Burundian American youth. I wanted to share some of the things that I will take with me as I continue to strive to be present for our youth here in the United States and in Burundi.
Fighting for a worthy cause
Reunion257 is fighting for a worthy cause. I say “fighting” because it is no easy task to work towards bringing together a community of over 40,000 people. While their mission states that they want the Burundian diaspora community to network and promote Burundian culture, Reunion257’s main focus so far has been here in the United States. For each event, they partner with a local Burundian organization to achieve their mission. Burundians, mostly young, come from all over the country to connect, discuss problems facing our community, and yes, do some good old American partying.
My favorite part of this weekend was the Roundtable Discuss. This is where you get to see just how rich the Burundian American community is. While the discussion was not as well attended as the more social events, it demonstrated the brainpower stored within our youth. There was the 16 year old who started a project at 14 to give back to students in Burundi. There was the team of young people who are starting a school for Burundian American children in Lexington, Kentucky where 75 students will learn Kirundi, Burundian history, and cultural lessons. There was the young man who brought a team together to start a foundation to provide medical assistance to children in Burundi. Lastly (but definitely a favorite), there was the group of youth committed to mentoring younger students to become academic powerhouses. Cue my inner nerd.
Listening to everyone speak about the work they do gave me hope. Young people are helping others right here in the U.S and in Burundi. They are taking responsibility for their communities, building a future that is both proudly Burundian and American. The fact that Reunion257 gives them a platform to share this and learn from one another is worth all the energy that must go into planning such an educational, fun filled weekend.
Addressing the generational divide
This is a topic that came up during the round table discussion, but it is not a new one to me. For over a decade, I have seen new families that come to the U.S. slowly experience a gap that leaves parents unable to communicate with their children. There is often a clash of two very different cultures that cause anguish for some parents and stress for the youth. A few young people master the ability to balance the two worlds. Many parents never do. On top of that, the younger Burundian Americans forget or never learn their parents’ language, making everything that much more complicated.
One of the solutions discussed at this year’s event was to create a community of “bridge” Burundian American youth - the ones who understand both worlds. Through them, the parents are able to communicate with their children and vice versa. Even though this solution has proven to work, it still causes issues with some families. There is a concern that those who are trying to mediate have their own motives that parents believe will put their children in undesirable situations. As one young man put it, this distrust stems from the fact that Burundian youth are “products of traumatized people.” A lot of our parents have seen far more trauma that any person should see in five lifetimes. Yet, they still work hard to meet their children’s needs, even if they may not always go about it in a way that the youth would like.
The goal here is two parts. It is to work together to raise a generation of powerful, intelligent young people who also understand that their parents’ lives were nothing like theirs and try not to punish them for it. It is also for the parents to see their Burundian American children for who they are; love and support the efforts they take to improve their lives, their families, and their communities.
Akanyoni katagurutse ntikamenya iyo bweze
This Burundian proverb translates into “a bird that doesn’t fly doesn’t know where the harvest is.” I pride myself in my ability to stay informed about what is happening around me. I read and stay connected to people. But I was not prepared for the number - and diversity - of Burundian Americans I saw at Reunion257. Any type of person you can imagine was present. There were the young hipsters, the gifted artists, the sage mothers and fathers, the sport groups, the fashionistas, and the religious of various levels. Even though those present were only a small percentage of the Burundian American community, it was amazing to see everyone come together to enjoy the weekend in the many ways available to them. Having seen it myself, I can now confidently say that our community has it all. I feel so proud of be a part of it.
Room for growth
Like anything else humans attempt to do, bringing people together has a lot of challenges. The work is not only affected by the generational divide, but also by difference of opinion based on ethnicity, level of education, place of origin within Burundi, church affiliation, etc. We suffer from a strong inability to appreciate each other’s input without prejudice. Our misguided understanding of one another causes us to exclude ourselves in community activities that are meant to create unity. The youth claim to be ignored and the older members of our community claim to be disrespected. Where is the middle ground?
In addition, we have this infuriating habit of never ever being able to start anything on time. It is so bad that event planners intentionally tell attendants to show up one or two hours before the intended start time. Even then, all events start one or two hours later than the fake time originally published. We joke about the fact that it is in our African DNA. However, it does not change the fact that the entire dynamic of an event changes when there is no respect for time.
Focus on building the Burundian American community
I love Burundi as much as the next person. I am a proud Burundian. However, I would like to see us focus more on building our community here in the U.S. before taking all of our efforts back to Burundi. Why does this matter? If our goal is to create generations of Burundian Americans who understand and connect to their heritage, we need a strong community here. We have to give them something they can be proud of within their sight. This can be accomplished by supporting each other’s efforts to grow, even if there may not always be monetary gain.
The U.S. is a country of mostly immigrants and refugees. The majority of us came from somewhere else to seek a better life. I believe that each group is responsible for doing their part in making this country the best that it can be. When we fail to do this, we end up in situations where hate dominates within and across communities. As such, Burundian Americans must take this responsibility seriously. We have to use our intelligence and skills to contribute economically and socially. We have to be our best selves here. This way, we will have what it takes to go back to Burundi and improve our larger community.
There is no doubt that Burundi as a country needs us more than the U.S. might need us. But the same cannot be said for the Burundian people who live in America. They need us more, especially our youth. In many states, we have young men in prison. They barely have anyone visit them. Being someone who can get into that kind of trouble seems to be deemed unforgivable. We have young ladies who display a level of self-disrespect that can only lead to bigger problems for everyone. This is apparent in the way they treat each other privately and publicly.
If we are to make a change in Burundi, we have to ensure that Burundian American youth living here are not left behind. If they are our future, they deserve our attention now. Those who are able to maintain a healthy, balanced life while supporting building a strong community here AND in Burundi should do just that. The rest of us, those among us who are still trying to figure out things here, should focus on taking care of that.
We need to grow out of our passive state. Our social and economic problems will not solve themselves. If we keep leaving our issues unresolved, there will come a time when the youth will decide not to carry to burden that comes with being Burundian anywhere. Fixing them together, as Reunion257 is attempting to do, will be our saving grace. It will be our greatest accomplishment.
