Baho!

by Roland Rugero, Christopher Schaefer (Translator)

When Nyamuragi, an adolescent mute, attempts to ask a young woman in rural Burundi for directions to an appropriate place to relieve himself, his gestures are mistaken as premeditation for rape. To the young woman's community, his fleeing confirms his guilt, setting off a chain reaction of pursuit, mob justice, and Nyamuragi's attempts at explanation. Young Burundian novelist Roland Rugero's second novel Baho! , the first Burundian novel to ever be translated into English, explores the concepts of miscommunication and justice against the backdrop of war-torn Burundi's beautiful green hillsides.

Genres: Burundi, Africa, Fiction, The World, Crime, Literary Fiction, African Literature

91 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Born in 1986 in Burundi, Roland Rugero grew up in a family where reading was a favorite pastime. He has worked as a journalist in Burundi since 2008. His novels include Les Oniriques and Baho!, the first Burundian novel to be translated into English. Rugero has held residencies at La Rochelle and at Iowa's prestigious International Writing Program. In addition to his work as a writer, in 2011 he wrote and directed Les pieds et les mains, the second-ever feature-length film from Burundi. Rugero is active in promoting Burundi's literary culture, co-founding the Samandari Workshop and helping found the Michel Kayoza and Andika Prizes. Baho! will be published in English by Phoneme Media.

Reviews

[Richard Derus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5* of five (rounded up)

15 December 2016: One of World Literature Today's 75 Notable Translations for 2016! Congratulations to Phoneme Media!

My review of BAHO! is live today at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud. A cautionary fable of war's huge consequences, it takes a single understandable misunderstanding to it logical limit. Wondering how our country nominated Drumpf for President? #WeWillNeverForget how horrible loss, terror, eternal unending stress feels. Phoneme Media and Translator Schaefer get my utmost respect.

I've also got a column about BAHO!'s publisher, Phoneme Media, at My Reading Life.

[Alyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. On every level. Wish there were more stars I could give it then just these measly 5.

An outstanding novelette that scathingly criticizes rape culture (and its corresponding misogyny), mob mentality, racism, generation and culture gaps, religion/superstition, and war. And it does it all with an easy-flowing and remarkably beautiful prose. The relevancy of this book is not limited to Burundi, or Africa, or countries still seeking stability and peace. The relevancy of this book is, as of 2016, universal and should be on every required reading list.

The story, ostensibly, is of a young mute shepherd who is falsely accused of attempting to rape a girl in a small village in Burundi. Unable to speak and therefore explain that it was all a simple misunderstanding, he is lynched and condemned to die for the presumed sin. While this is the main narrative the author also gives us welcome (and never drawn out) backstories and side-stories to illustrate the culture and contradiction inherent in the multiple points of view presented.

Rape Culture
”That is what the sight of Irakoze’s naval has done—it has stopped everything around him and created a gravitation bubble between that small abdominal hollow and [his] astute gaze” (p35)
Throughout the short narrative author Roland Rugero (and with great credit to the book's translator, Christopher Schaefer) offers a simple but brutal indictment on Nyamugari’s accusers. While condemning the heinous act of rape, the townsmen's thoughts largely consist of ogling women and categorizing them into different levels of beauty. They decry rape as an action, but not because it is wrong, not because it is violating a woman's body and her right to sovereignty of self, but instead because it is: "Sull[ies] precious goods acquired with great value over many years (a dowry, a marriage proposal, and long nights to convince the shy girl)...By raping Kigeme, the cursed mute has defiled all the other women in the region, and the men of Kanya consider themselves all affected." (p26). The men feel that the rape of a woman is wrong because it takes away the joy of her future husband to be the first to conquer and overcome her ‘virtue’ first . This disregard for the victim (and total lack of respect for women) is illustrated several times by those sentencing Nyamugari; while many of the locals pity the girl (and others who were not so lucky to have escaped their own ordeals), they do so while condemning young girls for showing their legs or belly-buttons in public. How could any man be expected to resist such temptation!?

Mob Mentality
”The movement of a wild beast. Furtive, in a bare savanna. He can reveal himself eventually, but before overtaking his prey, he can never allow his intentions to show.” (p81)
The character of Jonathan not-so-subtly illustrates the dangers and flash-fire nature of mob-mentality. And the ease in which a charismatic personality can use this and manipulate the masses. Brilliant, both in its present-day presentation as well as the military backstory, Rugero offers a clear warning to the world of how easily manipulated an angry mob can be.

Racism
Empty space (pp1-90)
Translator’s Notes:

While the novel does not address Hutu-Tutsi tensions, its single mention of ethnicity does propose a position of radical ethnic harmony. The old woman shares the wisdom of her years: all lives are to be valued, not just those of one ethnicity. Then, as quickly as the subject of ethnicity is raised, it is dropped and the narrative moves on.-Christopher Schaefer, Translator's Note

I disagree only slightly with Schaefer's assessment here, and not on the radical ethnic harmony presented but instead with the character of the old woman. I do not actually get the impression that she believes all life should be valued. In terms of race, yes, she seems very egalitarian. In terms of youth or progress, not so much. She views them as hedonistic, dishonest, untrustworthy, and the cause of the recent suffering of her people and country. So she’s just as biased as the rest of the world.

Generation Gap, Urban v. Rural, or, the Clash of the Cultural Norms
”Far away in those cities that she has traipsed through two or three times in these last two years, men don’t swear by the ordinary any more. That is to say, they cannot be trusted.” (p42)
The sins of youth and progress are condemned as the cause of all the suffering in the town (region/country), and the death of the young mute boy accused of rape is supposed to bring order back to the people. There is a palpable mistrust of the new and urban generation and their morals, but it serves (as in real life) to seek to place the blame on some outside force instead of looking inward or at the bigger picture. This is not limited to Burundi villages; this is natural (if unfortunate) human trait that is constantly being exploited the world over.

Christianity
”If hung, swaying in the wind at the summit of Kanya’s hill…of all the hills in the region mothers would lift their faces towards Kanya and say to themselves: There our honor was redeemed!…The fig tree at the summit of Kanya would be a living monument to the people’s renewed link with the heavens. Rain would come again.” (p74)
The allusions to Christianity are many and are not subtle; they do not need to be subtle, Burundi is a Christian country whose self-identity was fundamentally altered by the Christian missionaries that predate even the vile colonial overlords. I’m not going into detailed analysis on this one, but the author uses his (now totally expected) wit and wisdom in tackling the subject, and imo successfully points out the follies inherent to the superstitious nature of religion.

War (and it’s aftermath)
”Everything had returned to normal. Except the hearts of a hundred and nineteen men.” (p89)
The long Burundi Civil War (the many of them, actually) has affected every character in this book, in one way or another. It left orphans, widows, and fire in its wake and no one was spared consequence. Perhaps moreso than the youth and urban cultures so deplored by the old, the war is viewed as the both the sin to be punished for and the punishment for even older sins. It is a sad backdrop to place a novel, but it is stunning in its simple condemnation of the suffering the war has caused everyone –obvious and not.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Around the World Reading Challenge: BURUNDI
===
I thought this was really quite impressive! A short story that packs a punch, delivering a critique on rape culture, misogyny, mob mentality, war... the list goes on. The prose here was excellent and evocative, and the way the author conveyed Burundian life in a small village was really engaging. Interesting twist at the end as well. Really pleased to have picked this one up!

[Tinea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick-paced river of vigilante injustice, wandering off occasionally down meandering tributaries of village family life and recollections of the war, set in recent rural Burundi. In parts vivid, often alarming, sometimes tender.

Read in French

[Rusalka · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot going on in this tiny book. I'm sure I missed a lot. But what I did get was a lot of social commentary on modern Burundi but not done in a heavy handed way. But through stories you were remembering with the characters, through snippets of folklore, by overhearing conversations or just observing the crowd around you.

We were introduced to a country that is finding it's feet again after a civil war, trying to do the right things but with hang ups of old ways or old habits creeping in. But the thing that struck me about the whole book was the energy of the people that pulsed off the page through the writing. There is a chapter that is written as if you are walking through a market with snippets of conversations, noises, and smells. Those couple of pages were some of the most immersive reading I've read for a while.

Wasn't my favourite book, but with some favourite pages. But as the first book from Burundi translated into English, I'm glad I got to visit.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, a recommendation from the Johannesburg Review of Books has turned out to be excellent reading.  Baho! by Roland Rugero and beautifully translated by Chris Schaefer, is notable for being the first Burundian fiction translated into English, but there's much more to it than that.

In 91 short pages this allegory exposes misogyny and the hypocrisy of 'honour culture'; mob mentality and how it can be swayed by populists; othering and marginalisation; the harm caused by religion and superstition; and—although the 1990s genocide* in Burundi is never mentioned—the fragility of peace after war.

This is the blurb:

When Nyamugari, an adolescent mute, attempts to ask a young woman in rural Burundi for directions to an appropriate place to relieve himself, his gestures are mistaken as premeditation for rape. To the young woman's community, his fleeing confirms his guilt, setting off a chain reaction of pursuit, mob justice, and Nyamugari's attempts at explanation. Young Burundian novelist Roland Rugero's second novel Baho!, the first Burundian novel to ever be translated into English, explores the concepts of miscommunication and justice against the backdrop of war-torn Burundi's beautiful green hillsides.

When Nyamugari flees in dismay, his actions are interpreted as guilt, and the village is outraged. But they are not outraged on the girl's behalf.  The men, all too busy ogling other women at the same time, are angry that she has been sullied, reducing the market value of investing in a dowry for her.  They consider that all women in the area have been defiled by this act, and that they—the men—are all affected.  These comments put me in mind of actual cases of 'honour killing', not just in places like the Middle East and Pakistan, but right here in Australia.

Nyamugari can't defend himself because he is a loner.  Originally mute for psychological reasons, he was rendered physically mute by a charlatan claiming to offer surgery as a cure.  To make matters worse, a change of teacher who refused to teach someone who could not speak, meant that the boy—despite teaching himself to read and write—never has the opportunity to become part of the community, and after the death of his parents, lives only on the fringes of society.

But Nyamugari is also a handy scapegoat.  There has been a devastating drought, and there have been a number of unsolved rapes.  Mob violence escalates and superstition comes to the fore when the mob leader claims that if he is killed, it will rain.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2021/04/03/b...

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I take no pleasure in rating Baho! two stars. As the first Burundian novel translated into English, it broke new ground, and ultimately I'm glad I read it.

I appreciated the witty gender critique, that the men of the village wanted to string up an accused rapist not out of moral outrage but because rape bypasses the courting period and is therefore a threat to the established social order. But for such a short novella, not even 100 pages, it felt aimless. I didn't resonate with any of the characters; and if Rugero was gong for a sort of "modern myth," he lacked the folkloric cadence and charm of something like Kibogo. This one just fell flat.

____________________

Global Challenge: Burundi

[Efemia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another inspired pairing of author and translator from Phoneme Books. It’s a 4.5; I’m just trying to keep my ratings within bounds.

This is a many-faceted gem: small and brilliant. It sparkles with embedded stories and proverbs in Kirundi, the Bantu language of Burundi. The vibrant people of the place thrust themselves at the each other and the reader, but the quiet observer and the cagy manipulator of the vigilante crowd are just as memorable.

I admit that the kickoff event of the plot led me to delay starting this, but it’s very different than you might imagine. The short chapters are each a facet of the story, bringing background light from many angles and voices to the illuminate the young mute accused of rape. He was just trying to ask where he could relieve himself. There is certainly some violence, domestic and military, in some of the background tales, but as the translator Christopher Schaefer notes the story matter is not at all about Hutu-Tutsi differences; it is about the need for unity and considered justice in any nation. There are a lot more things going on as well: love, death, family, the rhythm of rural life, celebration, food, legends, the noise and exchange of daily life, and descriptions of a beautiful, bountiful country that is suffering the dry consequences of a changing climate.

The language is just wonderful. Schaefer has found beautiful ways to bring across the skill of Rugero’s prose. I will include just a couple of examples.

Nkunde kurya yariye igifyera kimumena amatama
The glutton ate the snail and it made his cheeks explode

With her left eye, the one-eyed woman tries to make out the pack of pursuers.
With the other eye, her bad one, she searches her thoughts. Tears escape them both. It is hard work with sweat trickling down. One eye makes out reality, and the other seeks the explanation for its harshness. One sees, and the other deliberates. The old woman’s comprehension in either case is muddled.

[scene in a store in the small town or village, many unattributed voices:]

Bibwirwa benshi bikumva benevyo
What is said to many is only understood by those concerned

“Give me that squash over there, the cracked one!”
“Get a move on it, your shoulders bother me! And what are you doing in my store in the first place, you ridiculous excuse for a black-eyed man? So, you’re not going to get anything?”
...
“You idiot with your ears plugged shut! Sweet Jesus, what did you say?”
“There, look at the ass on that woman! You might even say it was my tender Shishiro, the well-endowed. May God preserve her!”
“One rope, and make it a good one.”
...
“So, shall we go? I bought a condom! Quick, before my wife comes back from the market! Are you scared? But of what? Me? Well, are you sick, or what? Anyway, you’re not going to heaven with that thing of yours, better enjoy life here on earth! Ready to go?”
“Nooooooooooo. I already told you, one kilo of Sosumo sugar.”
....
“Very early this morning I saw an owl staring at me from the roof of Paul’s place...The owl was black, its eyes full of ill omen!”...

So many voices in this book, but Rugero comes to focus on two of them toward the end. These two voices offer very different viewpoints on the actions that determine the end of this brief episode. An ‘ending’ that is unexpected and provokes many questions about how crowds behave and respond. Timely reading over the next two months here in the US.

Highly recommended.

[AJ Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of my Africa fiction book club.

Probably more like 2.5 stars.

This book was interesting and well worth it for the mere fact that it is a Burundian novel translated to English, which according to the book jacket has never happened before. So its novelty factor was a driver behind reading this one in the club. Plus, it's only 90 pages. The 90 pages thing is both a good thing (in that it's not intimidating to read), but also a bad thing because there could have been more character development and questions answered.

So, I liked that it was in Burundi. I liked the various characters - like the old woman's perspective (though she did not turn out to be as good as I thought she might), and the uncle's secret benevolence, and the main character's choices to be somewhat invisible, and the various ways they all took part in the story. I did not so much like the flowery prose. I'm not a huge literature reader, so flowery prose can often make me lose interest (and made me, in this case, happy the book was only 90 pages), and this being translated from French, which has a strong tendency to be flowery, meant that I knew this going in.

It wasn't my favorite book read in the club, but I enjoyed it well enough and am glad I read it.

[Dave Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I set out on my project to #readtheworld , I had thought that I would be further along. In the process, I discovered that my #readtheworldchallenge wasn't terribly unique as there is a pretty sizeable group of people out there doing the same thing. Obviously, we're all bibliophiles but I think that book lovers tend to fall into ruts of genre that will tend to have one reading books from one or two nations. But when you take on a challenge like this, you quickly discover that some nations have much richer literary traditions than others and finding a comprehensive work of prose, poetry or indigenous history is often easier said than done, particularly when you only confidently read in one language. Some nations have rich literary traditions that span hundreds of not thousands of years but few of any of those countless volumes have been translated. Such was the case with the African nation of #burundi , a former colony of #belgium where the educated also speak French, a result of even earlier arriving Catholic missionaries from #france who inculcated their language into this culture long beset by ethnic strife, much of which was promulgated by colonial masters who preferred and elevated one group of indigenous people over the other.

#baho! , which enjoys the unique distinction of being the first (and possibly to date, only) novel by a #burundian author to be translated into English. The novel centers on a fictional village, not far from the fairly modern and urbane capitol of #bujumbura where some may go for opportunity but, like most villages, is enmeshed in a unique blend of French, Catholics and indigenous culture. The focal point of the story is Nyamuragi , a young deaf mute who gets caught up in an accusation of rape that spurs the community into fury and judgement that promulgates an indigenous #peoplescourt , rough frontier justice, due to a mistrust of formal law and justice. Author #rolandrugero , who is a highly celebrated young journalist in Burundi was also awarded a prestigious fellowship with Iowa's International Writing Program though he only wrote the novel in French, relying on gifted translator #christopherschaeffer for an excellent English translation. For his part, Rugero enjoys a broad international readership due to his exclusive translated status. Hopefully, it will encourage other Burundian writers and translators to expose the world to their work.

[ElenaSquareEyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, I got to say I really like how this book is packaged. Bit weird I know but bear with me. Baho! is such a short book, only 90 pages, and the book itself is just tiny and the cover has a buttery feel and it’s just a generally nice book.

Now onto the content of said book. Baho! is told from multiple characters points of view. While most of the time the point of view changes at the start of a new chapter, sometimes it happens during a chapter after a line break and it did take me a little while to figure out who’s head I was now in especially if it was a point of view we hadn’t seen before. I think the one-eyed old lady was my favourite POV as she is one of those characters who seemed to pick up things that others missed but the sections from Nyamuragi’s POV, especially after the misunderstanding and the mob’s reaction to him, were really quite sad. It’s easy to understand his confusion while equally seeing how the young woman misconstrued what he was trying to gesture to her.

Baho! covers so many themes in such a short number of pages. There’s rape culture and mob mentality, how both can be full of contradictions, misogyny and how in a patriarchal society young women are seen as something pure and that needs protecting, generational and class gaps, and just general refusal to try and accept and understand disabled people.

While the misunderstanding with Nyamuragi is happening there are memories and stories told that sometimes feel a little out of place or at least have you wondering where the story’s going for a moment. There’s Nyamuragi’s childhood and how his mutism has affected his life but there’s also a story told by the one-eyed old lady that is more like a cautionary tale rather than anything that has a direct relation to the main story.

Overall, Baho! is an interesting short story with a lot to it that would be worth discussing with others. It’s a story that’s often vivid in its descriptions, so much so that some are unsettling, but equally there’s a few moments that are surprisingly sweet. It certainly fits a lot in.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 4 out of 5]

If not for the fact that the first half of the book is not as compellingly written as the second, I think I'd eagerly add another star to my rating. I don't know whether to suggest it's Rugero the author or Schaefer the translator at fault there. At any rate, the second half is brilliant and more than rewards impatience with the first, I assure you.

What's least interesting about Baho!, perhaps, is the perfunctory notification that this is the first Burundian work of fiction available in English. I read this fact twice in the book and heard it from the bookseller who rang up my purchase, as if that alone made it worth reading. Well, no it wouldn't. If it weren't a good book, it wouldn't really matter if it were the first of five hundredth, as far as I'm concerned. I don't ken to the logic that just any book is good enough to read. I think too many readers are under the mistaken impression that the act of reading itself somehow makes you literate. Discernment is the discretion of readers worth rating as literate.

Anyway, so the book itself is well worth celebrating. Although Schaefer takes pains in an afterword to explain its Burundian relevance (outside of the fact that, yes, it is the first work of Burundian fiction available in English), the historical and ethnic context that might not seem apparent in the story, it's a truly universal and timely story, a cautionary tale about the rush to judgment, mob behavior, and basic social instincts both good and bad, regardless of whether or not you would be able to locate Burundi on a map, much less know anything else about it.

It's short but well worth the read, and to recommend, above and beyond its origins. It will also make a fine entry in some future anthology of world literature.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Disturbances mark our entire life, whichever what you look at it. The most important thing is to disturb life itself without letting it fall to pieces. Life is the water that flows over the earth, never to be gathered together again..." p. 91.

The story is rife with frustrations and jerking resolutions. The Nyamugari loses language by choice then by doctor's interference. He creates a misunderstanding that is tragic - for himself and the victim. His mob trial pulls out other abusers, egged on by the constant persistence of the group's ringleader using a tactic of talking louder and longer than his opponents. This rhetoric rings in our ears as the mute is helpless. The single named witness is a one eyed old woman, who swells with the will of the crowd, ultimately resigned even to the outcome.

But enough about the narrative story. BAHO! jumps off the page. It has a momentum. Where I thought we were going with the story, kept getting interrupted by a lengthy chapter of a folktale and a great dialogue laden marketplace chapter - both relevant to the larger life of the world around the action and the action, itself.

Probably the best aspect of the novel is the disruption the Kirundi phrase introduce. Breaking into the text to remind the reader of the history and power just beyond reach, the historical and political and ethnic backdrop that constantly informs everyday life. Its a true artistic move, inserting these phrases, that deepens the experience of reading the novel.

A bit too short, I wanted to read more about these characters and see where the injustice and frustrations took them.

[Tutankhamun18 · Rating 3 out of 5]

//3.5//

“Baho! takes place in the wake of that 1993-2005 war. In the novel, the residents of the fictional region of Kanya are in edge. Memories of war occupy their minds, rumors of rape haunt the hills, and a drought drags on. In a narrative that lends itself strongly to Rene Girards thesis thag mometic desire leads to violence, Nyamuragi becomes a scapegoat for the entire region.” (from the Translators note)

This novel ignores the issue of race/ethnicity but takes place in a world scarred by fear, violence and conflict. Throughout the novel there are themes of acceptance, humanity and pleasure and also mobs, mass hysteria, justice enacted by the state (symbolised by the police that finally break up the mob) and speech/communication/silence vs. guilt. Alongside the story, which is told in a rather basic fashion, we do get a fleshed out account of several characters from the village and therefore this short novel gives a crossectional insight into this fictional town inspired by Burundi.

The translation is done fantastically, with phrases and proverbs being kept in Kirundi, but the English translation offered alongside, and an excellent translators note at the end commenting on the context for this story.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this - it’s nothing particularly revolutionary or outstanding but I thought it was a really worthwhile read. The plot is actually quite iconic (the mute falsely accused) and the characters really nicely thought through. Plus the interlude of the one-eyed woman telling her grandchildren a traditional folk tale is really great.

I will also add the translator’s note by Christopher Schaefer to my growing list of absolutely brilliant pieces of work in their own right as I learnt so much including:

-Historical background about the ethnic conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis
-The Burundians love to come together and enjoy life
-That Burundi is one of the very few countries whose post-colonial borders roughly parallel those of a precolonial political entity
-That the mother tongue of Burundi is Kirundi and is closely related to the official language of Rwanda, Kinyarwanda
-General historical background on coups and genocide

Basically I didn’t know very much (the ignorance is my problem) and now I know more and have thought about the things I learnt which is exactly why we read so would call this a success.

[Bob Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end of the book, while the old, one-eyed woman is ruminating with her goats, this thought is articulated: Disturbances mark our entire life...the most important thing is to disturb life itself without letting it fall to pieces. An appropriate coda to a novel focused on a disturbance--itself based on a misunderstanding--a disturbance that is eventually disturbed, and life allowed to return to normalcy. Baho! reminded me a lot of the Ox-Box Incident which was basically a study on mob rule. Here, however, the mob is thwarted, and Nyamuragi was cleverly saved from a lynching by his uncle Jonathan who, counter-intuitively, worked the mob into such of a frenzy of propriety, the police arrived before they could administer their justice.

Two anecdotes stand out from the book: the old, one-eyed woman's tale about the beautiful girl and the prince, and Jonathan's recollection of the slow-cook execution of a military traitor.

Great book overall.

[Rhoda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my read the world selection for Burundi.

Nyamugari grows up not wanting to speak. His parents eventually take him to a healer, whose method of ‘healing’ renders him physically unable to ever speak - even if he wanted to.

When Nyamugari is out in rural Burundi one day and needs to relieve himself, he makes gestures to a young woman trying to ask for directions. She misinterprets his gestures and believes that he is going to rape her. All hell breaks loose in the village as Nyamugari is brought to ‘mob justice.’

The premise of this book sounded fantastic and although there were some great moments in this short book, I have to say that I didn’t really enjoy it. I found the writing very fragmented and I often couldn’t figure out who was narrating, as there were different perspectives and stories that chopped and changed regularly. ⭐️⭐️/5 from me.

[Shane McClendon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this novel as part of my challenge to read a book from every country. I didn’t know what to expect from the small African country of Burundi, but I was amazed. Incredible book. The language is beautiful, the story is gripping and leaves you thinking. The translator does a spectacular job, and his note at the end shows what a deep and thoughtful book this is. On top of that, it’s a very short 1 or 2 day read, numbering only 90 pages. I recommend this book to anyone interested in African literature.

[K's Bognoter · Rating 3 out of 5]

En kort roman fra Burundi med en enkel kernehistorie, som ikke desto mindre formår at berøre en stor mængde temaer, som på én gang er meget konkret forankret i Burundis aktuelle virkelighed og nylige historie og samtidig har universel relevans. Kan mest anbefales qua eksempel på litteratur fra Burundi, men den er heller ikke uden litterære kvaliteter i sig selv.
Læs hele anmeldelsen på K’s bognoter: http://bognoter.dk/2018/02/03/roland-...

[Jen Widmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

After being mistakenly accused of attempted rape, a mute boy is chased by a mob in a country suffering after war and plagued by hunger and a high rate of violence against women. I really enjoyed this story, which is told from several different perspectives and looks at the roles of education, communication, and mob justice, but I found the ending to be pretty confusing and hurried.

Reading the World - Burundi 🇧🇮

[Marissa and her goodreads spam · Rating 3 out of 5]

first burundian novel translated into english! what a lil treat! beautiful word choice despite the fact that it’s a translation. i liked the way the story was told, especially chapter VIII: “what is said to many is only understood by those concerned” where the only text are fragments of conversation in a marketplace

[Jeffrey Powanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novelette set in Burundi in the early 90s about a young mute wrongly accused of rape and the resulting mob that gathers to lynch him. Told like a modern folktale from various points of view, this is a impressive work, ably translated to English by Christopher Schaefer. It is the first Burundian novel translated to English. The title, in Kirundi, translates as a command to "live."

[Katie Tolentino · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Baho was a quick read, it was anything but lighthearted. Through the tale of one poor individual, the author revealed the way mob mentality, rape culture, and war set members of Burundi against each other. I can’t say that I picked up everything the author was trying to communicate, but he definitely packed a lot into a few pages.

[Julia P · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little book managed to say a lot in few pages. However, I didn't realize it until I read the translator's note at the end with the historical context. I almost wish I would have read that before the book.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was really excited about this book and the story it told, but it didn't give the depth I was hoping for with such a heavy topic

[David Meijer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely short and I wasn't always sure it made sense...

[Wendy]

I’m going to need to think on this one for a minute…

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Country: Burundi

[iscalynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

“art unfastens a moment from time by freezing the scene. and yet it is not hostile to life. therein lies its worth…”

i want to unfasten from time and sit with this one because… WOW