This morning we went to church in Kamenge (the same church where we went to the wedding). It's maybe 9 times bigger than the church at Rohero and was packed full. We sat up at the front with the pastors, Alexia, who is also the Clerk and the people giving the readings and sermons. Fortunately we were each sitting next to someone who could translate for us so we were able to understand the basics of the readings and sermons.

Both sermons were given by women (one of them was Odette, Adrien's wife). Odette even spoke at the beginning of her piece about how all the sermons would be given by women that day, that it was an appropriate thing for a woman to do, although it doesn't happen in other churches. The reading was from the Book of Daniel and she spoke about making difficult decisions when people were urging you to do something wrong. She gave some personal examples. When she was studying for her exams to get into university she failed her French test the first time through. Friends of hers got a copy of the test for the next time she would take it and urged her to use it but she refused, studied hard and got the highest mark on the test. Then she was glad to know she had earned those marks. She told about another time when she was asked to pay a bribe so that she could get her passport. When she asked Adrien for the money (about $80) he told her no, she would have to go through the process the legal way and later she saw he was right. She also talked about how there were some men who would ask their fiance for "an advance" was how my translator put it on their marriage and that women must be strong and refuse. My translator then asked me if such things happened in my country. When I said yes she looked very sad for us.

The service is completely different from the non-programmed Quaker meetings I am accustomed to. But the wonderful part about that is the singing. There are five or six different choirs and they each sing several songs. Sometimes there's also drumming and dancing. There was a visiting choir from up country and they even had props and a story. I love the way they begin. From the audience one person will start to sing and the rest of the choir will join in around her. Then they stand and walk up to the front singing. Often as soon one choir finishes the next will begin. When people know the words they join in with joy and enthusiasm and a fine time is had by all. Dave Zarembka told us in our orientation that church on Sunday is the entertainment for the week and I can see what he means. Today was a particularly long service, Alexia says, 4 hours long. I guess it has to last you all week.

Once again we got up and introduced ourselves. I ventured forth with a tiny bit more Kirundi than last time and did the rest in French. My hands were shaking a bit since speaking in front of a crowd of 900 people even in my own language is not exactly what I'd chose to do for entertainment. But I think it all went over well.

Once we got home we went on a little walk to the market to get some string to hang up laundry. (The one Rebecca loaned me is full! Thanks Rebecca!) But we had to walk away from the mzungu price of $8. We walked to the Public Garden and got rained on. It's unusual, we're told to have so much rain, twice in 3 days, during the dry season. We took cover in the gazebo in the park met a bunch of students who came over to talk to us in English and French. There were also a bunch of young children running around playing tag and evidence of a picnic that had been moved to the shelter of the gazebo. We were told it was an outing from an orphanages and all of the children had lost their parents in the war. We were offered Fanta (of course) and by the time we left I think we'd shaken hands with every man, woman and child in the gazebo. We passed on the Fanta and the students wanted to know why, did we not like it? Red explained that she'd had one at lunch. They said for Africans when you like something, you take it whenever it is offered because you don't know when it will come again. One young man said he could drink 20 Fantas in a day if he had the opportunity.

I'll close with two quick things. I'd read in the Unlocking the Horns book about how in the villages of Burundi there had been a long tradition of certain people acting as peace makers. They were called 'wise men' and people brought their disputes to them, they listened to all sides, conferred among themselves and then would restate the issues, pointing out where the two parties disagreed. In the end the two would drink from the same cup and there'd be a sort of party of forgiveness and the matter would be settled. When we were traveling up country and Adrien was telling us about the work that HROC is doing to bring about reconcilliation in the aftermath of the war. I asked him if there were still 'wise men' in the villages who could help. He said that during the war soldiers or rebels would come and force the wise men to kill people and then the other in the village lost their faith and trust in them. They saw that the wise men were like everyone else- powerless in the face of violence and the tradition was essentially killed off. So the war not only destroyed the present peace, it handicapped the hopes of future peace.

I will say though that there is a feeling of hope here now. During the Independence Day celebration (theirs not ours) the leader of the rebel group was sitting on the grandstand with the President. The president spoke in his speech about how this was a special Independence Day because as they looked at the mountains in the distance they did not have to fear what was up there. When we talk to the people that we meet, like the students in the park they all say they believe things will get better now. Let's all say "Amahoro" to that.

The other thing is to suggest if you're not Burundi blogged out you check out Andrew's blog. I believe you'll find it at www.quakerfront.com. He's got pictures from the parade and other things. Including, if you scroll down far enough, a bunch of cyclists hitched on to a truck.