These words can be interpreted in many different ways but they all usually converge in an invitation to prepare for confrontation.
Today, I raise my voice and let out one such a call together with the people of Burundi, a nation at the heart of Africa, (Africa’s very own ventricle to be precise) and more so a nation in the heart of those of us who see the atrocities happening there every day. For too long now, young and old alike have been victims of unrest, violence, and massacres that have resulted from political tensions in the nation.
I raise my voice in the name of Bujumbura’s sons and daughters whose lives have been cut short and those whose tomorrow is more unsure than ever. I raise my voice to call you all to join me in confronting the status quo.
In times like these, when all we hear and see is bad news, in times when the headlines start sounding normal, the world tends to divide itself into two schools: the dreamers and the realists. There are those of us who will chant “We are the world” and tell ourselves something can be done for a better tomorrow and those of us who will be more skeptical and spend more time asking ourselves what difference our input can truly make in the face of such evil grandeur.
Today, while many of us are trying to find the label that fits best on what is going in Burundi, and while we are trying to find what best defines the situation in Bujumbura many lives are being lost. While we are trying to understand what is going on, the victims of these inhumane acts are trying to understand what is happening to them as well. So to those of you wondering what in the world you can do to make a difference here is a starting point:
You can start by acknowledging what is happening and maybe sharing it with someone one and striking the conversation. When I say sharing I don’t necessarily mean shocking. I don’t necessarily mean spreading the image of the conflict in all its graphic nature, courtesy of the era of technology we live in like I have been seeing on Facebook but the need for many to use such means only accentuates the desperation behind the situation. I understand you may not be able to look through those post but talk about what is happening through your own medium and let the world know that you do not stand with injustice wherever it is being carried out. (If by now you still have no idea what I am talking about, please take a minute and look up what is happening in Burundi. Viewer’s discretion may be advised given the explicitness of some pictures I see around sometimes). My point here is though, while you might not see what you can do to make a difference, someone in your circle may or someone in their circle may. No single individual may make a difference but maybe collectively we can give Burundi the peace of mind she’s been seeking and her children the break they’ve longed for.
So, Call To Arms is addressed to everyone out there who receives this. What can you do to add on to the growing movement for the support of Burundi? How will you fight the widespread mindset that when evil abounds in the world, there is nothing we can do about it? I choose to call onto all those who are ready to confront this ideology and hope that everyone in their way will call onto more. To those who ask me what I hope to achieve by just raising my against an evil that has persisted in the face of many before me, my response is that I stand to achieve more than I would, by sitting back indifferent to what I see.
In the midst of all the darkness and painful realities of today, I do not want to compete with Paris, San Bernadino, Syria, Bamako and Tunis for the spotlight. On the contrary, let's share it and shine it onto the darkness that freely roams around our homes.
When you hear me saying Pray for Burundi, I am not asking you to stop praying for Paris or Syria nor am I rallying up forces for a larger ‘campaign’ than yours. No! I am instead saying, let’s pray for Paris, pray for Syria, pray for Bamako, pray for Tunis, pray for San Bernadino, pray for Burundi and pray for everyone that needs it out there but then again let's raise our voices and pray out loud if that’s what it takes.