Public Pardon and Reconciliation Day: Nyamurenza Commune, Ngozi Province

By Lena Slachmuijlder, Director, SFCG Studio Ijambo

Saying, "I'm sorry," is not always easy. Saying, "I forgive you," can sometimes be even harder. And what about if someone asked you to do this not in an intimate surrounding, but rather in front of a thousand-strong crowd of all your neighbors and friends?

This is the historic scene that was witnessed by more than a thousand people in a commune of Burundi's northern province of Ngozi on 25 March 2004. Twenty-four men and women, following their participation in a series of exchanges and discussions facilitated by the Women's Peace Centre of Search for Common Ground, decided to publicly admit crimes that they had committed against their neighbors, and ask for pardon. In public.

"I'm sorry for having tried to kill you…. I'm sorry for having stolen all the clothes in your house when you fled…. I'm sorry for having hit you on the head… Considering all the anguish I feel in my heart and the terrible things the war did to us, I ask for your pardon, for lying and accusing you of killing my father when it wasn't true… I promise I won't do it again…"

One after another, the perpetrators stood up, announced their name, admitted the crime they had committed, apologised, promised not to do it again, and requested pardon. Standing next to them, the victim, listening, and then replying; "Because you accept to say what you have done in front of me, and in front of this crowd in public, I pardon you. Know that you are free now and let's be good neighbours again. If you have a problem, don't hesitate to come to me and we'll work it out together."

They then tied white handkerchiefs around each others neck, hugged each other, and then drank out of bamboo straws from a communal pot of traditional beer - the symbol of reconciliation in Burundi.

Seed of Change
The seed that sprouted this spirit of pardon and reconciliation in public was a series of exchanges and trainings organised by the Women's Peace Centre on the theme of conflict resolution. Just as the Women's Peace Centre has been doing since its foundation in 1995, the women conflict resolution trainers identified a small group of ''leaders'' in the Nyamurenza community to participate in training about conflict resolution. The participants were moved by the training, and especially one aspect of the training, which included a theatrical presentation by the Tubiyage theatre group that dealt with issues of pardon and reconciliation.

"The participants were inspired," recalls Lucy Mihasha, one of the Women's Peace Centre trainers in Ngozi. "They said to us, "this training is interesting for us, but we know people in our community who have real conflicts between them, for nearly 10 years now. Can't we invite them to participate in this type of training so that they can resolve their conflicts?"

A simple enough request to which the Women's Peace Centre readily agreed. Thus began a series of exchanges between a group of about 30 community members, many of whom were hardly on speaking terms with each other. Slowly, over a period of several months, the trust began to be built, and people began to speak their minds. Within the group, there were about a dozen that had committed crimes against the others: robbery, physical attacks, lying, attempted murder. They wanted to say what they had done, and say that they were sorry. They wanted to free themselves of the burden.

At first, the exchanges took place intimately, between the perpetrator and the victim in a private discussion. They recalled all the details of the event, and spent hours telling each other how it had happened, how they felt, and how they felt now. At the end, those who had been victims of the crimes were unanimous that they wanted to pardon the perpetrators and start a new chapter of solidarity, good neighbourliness, and trust. But they wanted their testimonies and words of pardon to echo beyond the classroom walls. And so they decided to invite the whole community to come and celebrate, and importantly bear witness, to the testimonies of the crimes committed which were now being pardoned.

We Are the First
All of the community cultural groups, dancers, drummers, singers, and comedians were mobilized. The local administrator declared the day a holiday from school and public service work. One after another, the songs of pardon, reconciliation, and the beginning of a new chapter of reconciliation for the community rang through the air. "We are the first to pardon each other! Let others follow our example!" was one of the favorite songs, sung over and over again.

The initially suspicious governor of the province, M. Juvénal Nzigamasabo, was soon moved to abandon his prepared speech and speak spontaneously. "What you are doing is the real life application of the peace accords," he said. "The leaders have signed cease-fire agreements, but you have done a cease fire in your hearts." "The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will use this community as an example," he added.

Controversy
The latter remark highlights, nonetheless, the controversy around the event. Indeed, there is no existing Truth and Reconciliation Commission in place, despite it being foreseen in the Arusha Peace Accord signed in 2000 and meant to be implemented during the current 3-year transitional period.

There is also the controversy of some of the community members who admitted to having given false testimonies that led to the imprisonment, up until today, of their neighbors for crimes they never committed. With the facilitation of the Women's Peace Centre, these people actually visited the prison, and testified before the prisoners sentenced due to the false testimonies, that they had lied. The exchange was moving and sincere, according the Women's Peace Centre acting director Perpetue Kanyange. But the prisoners remain in prison. "The Attorney General is aware of what has been said. But he cannot reverse the course of justice, he said. He rather said that those who gave false testimonies could be pursued by the law rather than the prisoners being liberated. "This is not an easy situation, " said Perpetue.

For the prisoners, their sole consolation is the ongoing contact that they have with the people who admitted to the false accusations, who bring them food and gifts to the prison, or send their children to visit them. But their absence during the March 25 event was cause for some to be bitter about the event. "This is fine," said one elderly woman, "but what about those who are in prison who couldn't be here today?"

And so long as there is no national structure to officially grant amnesty to those who have received the pardon in public from their victims, it is not clear whether or not they are free from persecution for their crimes by the justice system. At what point is a crime a matter to be sorted out between the criminal and the victim, and when does it become an affair for the society and the justice system in place?

Questions
These are some of the questions that the community, and others who may have been inspired by this event, will continue to ask themselves. Among those intrigued by these questions is Radio Isanganiro journalist Michel Rwamo, who launched a radio programme last year called "I'm Sorry," in which people phone or write in to apologize for things they have done that they now regret. "It's important for people to start to speak out about what they have done," he says. "This will help things to go better once we have the Commission in place."

Perhaps. But not all Burundians have the same idea of what justice means. For some who are appalled by the absence of an effective criminal justice system, they see the lynching of thieves and rapists as a solution. For others who want the world to know the truth about Burundi's bloody past, only an international Commission of Inquiry will suffice. There is far from a consensus on these issues in Burundi's current transitional phase.

But for one of the men who gave pardon on the 25th of March, who had nine cows stolen, this event has closed a chapter. "I have pardoned him because he has admitted what he has done. But there were others who helped in the stealing of the other 8 cows. I am not saying that I will not seek the justice system if they don't also come forward to say the truth."

Please click here if you would like to make a donation to support our projects.