News Flashes

What's in a story? Most of is like a good story. I remember how much I enjoyed the times as a child when my mother read stories to me aloud. Just recently I have been attending meetings about the role of the Church in peace and reconciliation. Afterwards I set myself the task of writing a story for children here in Burundi to help them understand something about the importance and need for peace and justice. (You can decide whether I succeeded or not!) I called it the story of Buntu because the name means "grace". 

THE STORY OF BUNTU 

Buntu is an orphan living in the north of Burundi. He is 13 years old and lives with his brother and two sisters in his parents' house in one of the quarters of town. His parents were killed when the quarter was attacked during the war and most of the family's possessions were stolen from the house. 

Buntu is left with 4 old chairs, some cooking pots, and some mats on which his family sleeps. As a family they have only known war. 

Buntu is a Christian and wanting, now the war is over and peace is coming in the country, to build a better life and home for the family for which he is responsible. Buntu is able to attend school. In his spare time he sells peanuts on the street to raise a little money for the family. He is able to do this due to a small credit given by his Church to orphans who are heads of households. 

Near his house is a carpentry business where chairs and tables are made. His dream is to have a table in his house so that he and his brother and sisters have a place to share meals, welcome visitors, do things together like their homework, and around which they can sit and chat, sharing their hopes and dreams along with their problems and remembering when they used to have their parents to look after them and share meals with them. 

The owner of the furniture business becomes Buntu's friend. They chat together and he learns of Buntu's dream. He gives Buntu some pieces of spare wood so that he can make his table. Buntu is excited and eager to start his project. He finds it is not as easy as he thought and takes longer than he anticipated. 

Once the top is shaped he starts to attach the legs. His brother and sisters laugh as he tries to get the table to stand stable. With one leg it is impossible for the table to stand. With two legs it still topples over. With three legs it is balanced but easily falls over to one side. With four legs it finally stands but remains unstable due to the legs being slightly different lengths. Eventually the legs are measured correctly and adjusted so that the table stands evenly. 

As he makes his table Buntu thinks about some of the lessons he has had at his Church with the other children about the need to build peace in his country and how people need to forgive one another in order to restore connections so that they learn to accept one another as friends. It is what they call reconciliation. They said that for that to happen there needs to be truth. Things need to be fair and right and proper - there needs to be justice. Those who are guilty of bad things need to accept responsibility for what they did and then be treated compassionately - there needs to be mercy. Peace is needed so that people live quietly and in unity, with hope in their hearts. 

Buntu thinks that reconciliation is a bit like the top of the table he has just made, with truth, justice, mercy and peace as the table legs. 

Buntu begins to dream a new dream - that one day his country and his community would know how to live together happily and peacefully, accepting each other in spite of differences, learning to see the best in others and desiring the best for others. He knows that it will take time and that many things will need to change. He believes that if others share his dream it would be possible one day. 

As a new year begins we can resolve to live in unity with others wherever we are. We can determine to see the best in others and desire the best for others whether they are members of our family, colleagues at work, friends or neighbours. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR