Literature of Exile: Burundi’s Gaël Faye

I used to think I was exiled from my country. But, in retracing the steps of my past, I have understood that I was exiled from my childhood. Which seems so much crueler. Exile is always a profoundly traumatic experience. But what of those exiled twice? While the world is largely aware of the Rwandan genocide … Continue reading Literature of Exile: Burundi’s Gaël Faye

Title Pick: Baho! by Roland Rugero

In Baho!, the first Burundian novel ever translated into English, the 28-year-old Roland Rugero uses elements of fable and oral tradition to explore the themes of miscommunication and justice in his war-torn Central African nation. When Nyamuragi, an adolescent mute, attempts to ask a young woman in rural Burundi for directions to an appropriate place … Continue reading Title Pick: Baho! by Roland Rugero