While Burundi is going through increasing violence characterized by mass protests and killings that started after the current president, Pierre Nkurunziza, publicly announced his intention to run for another term, massive efforts are focused on international interventions and top-down initiatives to restore calm in the country.

In the midst of increased mutual mistrust between the police and the population, confrontations between police and protesters, and the complex consequences of the failed coup, there is much less discussion about individual responsibility in resolving the growing crisis.

As Burundi natives, we have written “A Burundian Prayer for Peace” to help raise individual and collective consciousness.

We want to inspire transformative action to contain the current violence and create spaces of convergence that facilitate inclusive conversations and inter-group collaboration to reaffirm Burundi’s path to sustainable peace.

A Burundian Prayer for Peace

Dear God,

I thank you for Burundi

For the beautiful fertile plains, the multi-flowered plateaus and the majestic hills

For the winding rivers nourishing the marshes, and the lakes filled with fauna

I thank you for the life-sustaining ndagala and mukeke from Lake Tanganyinka

I thank you for the Rubone from the banana plantations overlooking Bujumbura

I thank you for the lengalenga that can grow anywhere and Bugarama’s fresh vegetables

I thank you for the cassava fields, the bean fields, and the sorghum fields

I thank you for the palm trees, the tea and coffee plantations

I thank you for the ever soothing climate of this magnificent tropical land

I thank you for the people, Abarundi, for their faith in you, and their resilience

I thank you for Burundi, for its past, for its present, for its future.

Now, Dear God, please help me cherish and protect my beautiful Burundi

In times of turmoil and always, help me become an instrument of your peace

Help me magnify the good in me, and see the good in others

Bless me with a flexible mind and a caring heart

Bless me with the capacity to listen and act for the common good

Help me become an instrument of Burundi’s peace.

I am a youth of Burundi

Poverty has robbed me of my agency

Bless me with the knowledge, skills, commitments, and opportunities to build a peaceful Burundi

Bless me with the capacity to think and plan for tomorrow

Make me worthy of becoming the Burundi Bw’Ejo, the Burundi of tomorrow

Help me become an instrument of Burundi’s peace

Tomorrow will come for me and all Burundi youth like me.

I am a Burundian woman and a mother

My heart breaks with fear for my children’s welfare.

Bless me with understanding that I am every Burundian woman and mother

Bless me the means to care for my children and the heart to care for Burundi’s children in safety

Make me worthy of becoming the Mupfasoni of Burundi

Help me become an instrument of Burundi’s peace

Tomorrow will come for my children and all children of Burundi like mine.

I am a Burundian man and a father

I have lost the capacity to listen to the cries of others and to feel their pain

Bless me with seeing eyes, listening and hearing ears, a feeling and loving heart

Bless me with a discerning mind and a voice that utters the goodness of my heart

Make me worthy of becoming the Mushingantahe of Burundi

Help me become an instrument of Burundi’s peace

Tomorrow will come for me, my family, and the families of other men like me.

I am a leader in my community

I have often been blinded by greed and consumed by clouds of vengeance

Bless me with an inclusive vision and gratitude for all that you have given me

Bless me with wisdom and courage to lead with trust and hope

Make me worthy of becoming the Umuyobōzi of Burundi

Help me become an instrument of Burundi’s peace

Tomorrow will come for me, my community, and the communities of other leaders like me.

I am Hutu, I am Tutsi, I am Twa, I am who I am

I have been obsessed by my ethnicized narrative

I gained countless economic privileges from the system

I am a victim of systematic discrimination in my native land

I am a refugee, I am internally displaced, I lost my land

I am a widow, I am a widower, I am an orphan, I lost my voice

Bless me with the courage to forgive, open my heart to others’ suffering

Help me reconcile with myself and others

Tomorrow will come for me, my group, and every Burundian.

I am a farmer, a police officer, a teacher, a businessman, a businesswoman

I am a neighbor, a soldier, a preacher, a singer, a taxi driver

I am a fisherman, a driver, a writer, a politician, a civil society

I am a student, an unemployed, a homeless, an International Community

I cannot bring peace to Burundi on my own

Bless me with the commitment to sustain Burundi’s peace in my daily actions and interactions

Bless me with compassion and love for Burundi and the Burundian people

Bless me with humility and the willingness to sacrifice for the good of Burundi’s peace

Make me worthy of becoming Umwubatsi of Burundi

Help me become an instrument of Burundi’s peace

Tomorrow will come; I want to welcome the new day with gratitude for all.

Burundi is me, Burundi is you, Burundi is we, Burundi is ours

May we join together to preserve our beautiful landscape

May we join together to restore and share our fertile land

May we reclaim our service-grounded traditions

May we restore our unifying community celebrations

May our minds, hearts, dreams, and actions unite for the common good.

Thank you, God.