Speaking Kirundi as a tool to build family unity

I am still on a high from my Instagram Live conversation with Tuvugane. This amazing group of young Burundian Americans has found a way to use this challenging social distancing time to bring our community together. It was a true honor to be a part of it yesterday and to share my two cents about the importance of teaching Kirundi to our children who are born and/or raised abroad. If you were not able to watch in real time, you can find the talk on my Instagram Highlights.

During the discussion, I touched on using Kirundi as a way to teach our children about their heritage, give them a deeper connection to Burundi, and ensure their ability to communicate with their relatives. One thing I didn’t mention is the fact that we use Kirundi as a way to build unity within our family. The bond we share as a family is natural, and it needs every tool in the box to remain strong and grow with time. Being able to speak one language gives us a sense of togetherness that I hope our children will carry with them for generations.

There are moments when my husband and I laugh about a joke in Kirundi, and my heart burst with joy knowing that our babies can understand and laugh along with us. Anyone who speaks more than one language knows how seemingly impossible certain expressions can be to interpret for adults. Having to do that within our home several times a day is not something we would choose for our family. And since speaking Kirundi comes more naturally between us, it only makes sense that we instill the same passion for our mother tongue in our children.

Of course life is unpredictable and things are constantly changing. If there ever comes a time when our children forget Kirundi or choose not to speak it (God forbid), there will be other ways to keep our family unity strong. But while we have this beautiful language in common, we will milk the bond that it creates and the unique jokes and expressions that it produces. We will also continue to encourage others to learn and use it with their own children. It might be a challenge at times, but it is one worth our commitment.