During the group interview, Joseph was quiet and appeared introverted. But when I asked the group of former combatants if there was anyone who would like to talk to me individually, Joseph was the first to raise his hand.

He seemed timid but when he laughed his smile was large and easy. He sat with his hands between his legs, and looked off into the distance while he told me the facts: He was 26 years old and had joined the FNL in 1993 when he was just 10 years old.  After his parents had been killed in Bujumbura in 1993, Joseph and his brother were cared for by nuns. While his brother wanted to stay with the nuns, Joseph had other ideas: to avenge the death of his parents by joining the FNL. “Wow,” I said, “so you have been with the FNL for 16 years?” He was slow to respond, sighing “I left the FNL a year after joining to study mechanics under a friend. But then my friend was killed, so I went back to the FNL.”

Joseph didn’t give many details about his life as a combatant except for when he explained—so softly I could barely hear—that he still has nightmares about the time when he was forced to kill his best friend who had raped a woman.  Not raping is one of the many FNL rules that are strictly enforced by officers of the rebel force.  Joseph was chosen to administer the ultimate punishment by shooting his friend. His gaze focused on the ground.

I asked him what he wanted to do in the future.  He gave a small grin and started to describe the ‘video salon’ he wanted to open in his village. Joseph imagined his neighbors coming to his place to watch movies.  From the glimmer in his eye, I could tell he had been dreaming of it for quite some time.  All he needed now was a piece of land and a TV.

Posted By: Michael Graham | October 13, 2009 | Comments (0)