Bernard Ntahoturi interview: What is forgiveness?
Lucy Berry meets Bernard Ntahoturi, Archbishop of Burundi
As Bernard Ntahoturi sees it, the Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi has an immense job to do. His is a very poor country still struggling to rebuild following the genocidal civil war that began in 1993, ripping apart the fabric of society, destroying lives, property, peace and hope.
In fact, this tiny East African nation has been ravaged by a series of conflicts since its independence in 1962, which have centred on re-emerging tensions between ethnic Hutu and Tutsi communities. Landlocked, with a population of just above eight million people, Burundi shares her borders to the north with Rwanda. Burundi’s own tragedies have been overshadowed by the appalling scale of Rwanda’s suffering. But Burundi lost many, many thousands of fathers, brothers, mothers and sisters to the civil war.
Profound scarcity of water, increasing soil erosion, hunger and disease are part of the daily struggle for large parts of the population. There are many steps to take before Burundians can live as safely and securely as they should.
Archbishop Ntahoturi believes the Church’s role is absolutely central to the country’s regeneration, both as a viable financial nation and as an emotionally-healed one. To be a pastor is to work both practically and at the level of psychology; it is to be aware of the political sphere, but not part of it. To love Burundi as passionately as he does is to live the “hard gospel” every day.
How much has Christianity changed Burundi?
Burundi is 90 per cent “Christian” but I say that in inverted commas, because we have had mass baptism; I think the Gospel has not yet become our culture, or changed completely our way of seeing things. The core message of the Good News is to love your neighbour. So, when I see what happened in Burundi and Rwanda, just 10 years ago, killing, killing… I say what happened to the Gospel? If the imperative of Christ is to care for each other, why were we killing each other? But the seeds of the Gospel are already there in Burundi.
Why the mass baptism?
Christianity came with colonialism. To access education you had to be baptised. To become a Christian then was almost to become westernised, to be “civilised”, if I can use that word. Were we really converted to Christ or to “Christian-ism”? The consequence now is a new movement to re-evangelise Africa. So, how does the Good News become good news to the people who’ve been killing, to the poor people? How do we make it real when people are dying of HIV/Aids, are the orphans and widows of Aids, are experiencing war, poverty, hunger… How does the Gospel empower us to be good neighbours?
What moves are there towards reconciliation in Burundi after the terrible fractures of the civil war?
In 1994 the whole world’s attention came to Rwanda, because of the genocide there – but Burundi already had war in 1993. Killing, people running away to Tanzania. At the end of ‘94 I came to the UK, to see Christian Aid, and they were already talking about reconciliation, asking how do you reconcile these things? When I look back, I think we were joking with the lives of people. You cannot talk about reconciliation when wounds are still fresh. Now we’re a bit detached, though still involved. We’re saying: what happened? Can we find strength to address our past, the wounds? Slowly, people are coming together. The seeds of reconciliation can start now and we can ask: how do we live together? How do we accept each other, rather than going back to fighting and killing?
How do you encourage that exploration practically?
Through different ethnic groups coming together. By bringing back those who have been refugees to meet those who stayed in the country. We look to see whether they’re ready to address their past: what happened in the village? Who did what? And that’s very difficult, very difficult, it feels like yesterday. When you know the truth, what do you do with that truth? Even if you’re able to establish the facts, what do you do with those facts? That’s the whole question of restoration.
In cases where a victim isn’t able to meet the perpetrator of atrocity, how do they arrive at forgiveness?
Forgiveness starts with the individual. You can go through the process of letting go. For me, forgiveness is letting go. When you’ve allowed yourself to be healed, then I think you can face the perpetrator. But if you aren’t yet at the moment of inward cleansing, it would be difficult to meet the killer of your brother, father, mother.
And the difference between reconciliation and forgiveness is…?
Reconciliation is more than forgiveness. You say: “Yes, I’m the victim of this situation. X is the one who did it. But can I live with the descendants or the family of X without being motivated by the spirit of revenge?” You can forgive without necessarily having a relationship, without contact. For me reconciliation is in action. Am I able to meet and face this person, to walk together? It is very difficult to journey with the neighbour who killed. And there are all those who have been sexually violated. I personally feel that’s where the church has a role ñ to get deeper and to heal, with all the psychology needed for this type of work.
How would you describe the difference between those things the Church and the state can accomplish in Burundi?
There’s an interconnection. But the state is the physical. The Church, with the Gospel, creates the environment for the existence of that physical. State provides the physical working together and living together of protection and security. But the church gets deeper and talks to the heart. A politician said to me: “Yes, I am called on to like people, but not necessarily to love them.” But we’re called on to love people. Love your neighbour, actually. That’s the hard gospel; very hard.
When you’re travelling around Burundi, what gives you the most happiness, the most satisfaction?
Driving in the morning at eight, walking at four-thirty in the afternoon, I see a multitude of young people going and coming back from school. It’s a consequence of peace. Especially to see the girls, walking, running to school. That’s a change. But I ask myself what will be the finality of their education?
Is it practical or just theoretical? What will they do when they finish? School is a sign that Burundi has hope. But our challenge is to make training practical. These young people will be the next leaders of our country.
How is climate change affecting Burundi?
Climate change is affecting the poorest countries. Burundi is the poorest country as far as the World Bank is concerned. There are three consequences. Firstly, our farmers no longer know when the rain will come. We used to know we could plant in September. Now rain comes in November, and not good rain – heavy, heavy rain, which takes away soil, destroys houses. Just last week we had 100 houses destroyed.
Secondly, the Sahara is expanding. During the wars, trees have been cut down – more country is becoming desert. That’s why Christian Aid has a massive programme to help us restore our environment. Just with the Anglican church alone, in the next three years they’re planning to plant nine million trees. Thirdly, the Bible gives us that responsibility – not just to church-people, but to humanity – to care for the planet which is a gift given to humanity.
If we’re not careful the planet will be destroyed; not only the poor countries, the developed ones also. We are in this business together.
Jesus says: “I have come so that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” The dignity of human beings needs to be restored and defended before we pass to the Other Life.
How much does the government of Burundi listen to the Church?
Our president is almost an evangelist. He’s a Christian. But when you look at the corruption and all the things that go on within the government’s sphere I ask myself, how much have they changed?
They do listen to the church. I have access to government. If I ask for an appointment with the president I’ll get to see him, if he’s in the country, within the week, same with the minister of home affairs. There’s a good relationship. Whether they take account of what we say… They have their own agenda. Governments are the same everywhere. I gather you are expecting an election here soon? We are having election fever in Burundi.
What unsettles you most in your journeying round Burundi?
Poverty. I go round and I see families with large numbers of children and they have not been able to eat for a day, two days, that affects me. Or a family who has not been able to send children to school or take them to a clinic, that affects me. When I go around and see mountains bare of trees I know that will have terrible consequences, and that affects me.
How do you carry that – the ongoing discomfort which is part of being close to people?
It’s painful. But within the family of the world church, the family of believers, there are people who say they are praying for us, supporting us, giving us aid to set up HIV clinics and so on. They contribute to the schools, to the number of classrooms, so that everyone can have a place. If people understand what we’re doing is not just for our own congregations but for the whole community, that is good. The Church has to be an instrument of God for a holistic ministry.
When did you know that you wanted to be a pastor?
My faith grows every day. On particular days I fail, but my faith has grown, grown. I trained for ordination when I was still young. I grew up in a Christian family. Sometimes I think I should have waited, but it was God’s time. I have two cousins who are pastors, a brother who has just finished training. So, I hope we make a tribe!
Life is full of ups and downs; sometimes filled with the Holy Spirit. Other times saying, where is God in all these things? Growth, step by step.
Lucy Berry is training for stipendiary ministry in the United Reformed Church
This article appeared in the March 2010 issue of Reform.
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