196 Books: Burundi

Baho! by Roland Rugero


Burundi is a small country in Africa:

And here's the description:

Baho! is a novel by Roland Rugero published in France in 2012, and translated into English by Christopher Schaefer in 2015. It is the first Burundian novel to be translated into English. The story is set in the fictional village of Hariho, following a young mute boy named Nyamuragi. When his attempts to find a bathroom are misunderstood as sexual advances, Nyamuragi finds himself voiceless due both to his disability and the hasty persecution of his wrongful convictions.

Taking place after the events of the Burundian genocides, Baho! grapples with many sociocultural themes and arguments that deal with Burundi's recent problems with cultural identity. As a result, the novel employs many Burundian cultural elements including Kirundi proverbs. Despite its heavy involvement in Burundian culture and history, the novel does not discuss ethnical differences between characters. Baho! serves to instruct Burundi on how it can successfully grow as a culture and nation.

I know that's a bit more than I usually include for the description, but it said (a lot more eloquently) the things I was thinking as I was reading. This was a really short book, less than 100 pages. It also made me think of the Me Too environment that's happening right now. As much as I hate to admit, it made me sympathize a little bit with the accused...which was probably the point. I mean things were made much more extreme by the boy being mute and not having the means to explain anything. Then it's exacerbated by nobody trying to get his side of the story. 

It was kind of great: this rather short story was told in a way to make me look at myself and my thoughts in today's current climate. Though it's not as extreme as beating and trying to hang the accused, there's a bit of a mob mentality with accusations of sexual impropriety and not wanting to let the accused say anything, or not believing what they do say. Do these people deserve the benefit of the doubt, or compassion? Well, I don't know. All I know is this one made me think.  

196 Books: Bulgaria

Street without a Name by Kapka Kassabova

Bulgaria is on the Eastern side of the EU:

And here's the description of the book:
Kassabova was born in Sofia, Bulgaria and grew up under the drab, muddy, grey mantle of one of communism’s most mindlessly authoritarian regimes. Escaping with her family as soon as possible after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, she lived in Britain, New Zealand, and Argentina, and several other places. But when Bulgaria was formally inducted to the European Union she decided it was time to return to the home she had spent most of her life trying to escape. What she found was a country languishing under the strain of transition. This two-part memoir of Kapka’s childhood and return explains life on the other side of the Iron Curtain.

With the getting ready to move, moving, and settling in the new place, it took me way too long to read this one; especially considering how much I enjoyed it. 
Things seem to be getting crazier and crazier here in the US, but it's still devastating to read about the tragic history in the older parts of the world (you know...basically everywhere else). 

The whole big communist era in Europe makes me so sad; that people living there were kept in the dark and told that the rest of the world was so awful. And why? I mean, I know why, but WHY? These poor people had next to nothing and had no way of bettering themselves. So this family lives in various places throughout the world just to get a better life. It was so interesting and heartbreaking to read as the author travels back to her home country and just feels like an outsider everywhere she goes, home or foreign. 

Also, people in Europe have done some real awful shit to each other. And, sorry, but Turkey's been the jerk in more than one of the books I've read so far. GET IT TOGETHER TURKEY. AND EVERYONE ELSE. STOP BEING JERKS. 

On the other hand, it was interesting to hear about all the different places she went, things she saw, and people she met. On top of it, Kassabova has such an incredibly inviting writing style. It honestly felt a lot like a friend just telling you stories. So definitely check this one out, it's a great read. 

On another note, I've been considering putting ads back on here. Not because I want to annoy you guys, but because I have no job and I feel useless. Sooo...I guess that might be coming.