Kicking Off A Culture of Peace
The priest in charge called them an "équipe confundue." He explained that they had formed the soccer team with members from all three ethnic groups in Burundi — Hutu, Tutsi, and even Batwa, the traditionally marginalized group that makes up just 2% of the population.
Two players from different communities in the Diocese of Bururi. Photo by CRS Staff
This mixed-up group of soccer players from the parish of Buta, in the town of Bururi, was taking on a team from the parish of Minago, in the neighboring town of Rumonge. It was one of the first events for the project "Creating a Culture of Peace in Burundi through Catholic Church Structures." CRS partner CEAL, the Episcopal Commission for the Apostolate of the Laity, organizes sporting and cultural activities for youth, so that young Burundians have a space in which to create trust and build understanding. The event in Bururi was organized to commemorate the death of 40 seminarians in a 1997 massacre. The day began with a morning march for peace followed by mass and the soccer game.
The local team didn't have shirts, shoes, or more than 2% body fat. While the visiting team had shiny blue and white uniforms and matching socks, they too were an "équipe confundue." Both teams kept their gazes downward when they shook hands with the priests, administrators and CRS representatives.
They may have been mixed-up ethnically, but these guys were hardly confused about what they were on the field to do. Once on the field, the teams exhibited a determination equal to any well-trained team that had been preparing for months. They had a following to match. At least 500 people, undaunted by the approaching gray clouds, surrounded the playing field. When a Batwa player from the local team scored the first goal, about 30 people rushed the field in excitement, and one fan did blackflips on the sidelines.
It was the only goal the local team would score. The match continued despite the intermittent downpours, and the visiting team managed to outscore the locals 4-1. It wasn't particularly high-level soccer, but that wasn't the point. The point was that two communities had a reason to come together on a Sunday afternoon. Rather than players' or team names, fans on the sidelines held posters with messages of peace. Monsignor Bududira, the Bishop of Bururi braved the rain to deliver a speech about peaceful cohabitation.
And while each team played to win, the spirit of competition was accompanied by one of fraternity. While on the field, two players from opposing teams shoved each other a couple of times, fighting for position, as you might see in collegiate or professional matches. Only these two guys immediately broke down in laughter and hugged each other jovially.
At the ceremony following the match, the winning team from Minago received two new soccer balls. The Buta team also received one, and it's surely already dirt-stained, as they kick it around the muddy field, preparing for the next match.
