Conflict, Reconciliation and Peace Education: Moving Burundi Toward a Sustainable Future

When the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States occurred—causing that nation to wage wars of revenge in Afghanistan and Iraq—the people of Burundi were recovering from nearly forty years of violence, genocide and civil wars that had killed nearly one million and produced another million refugees. Here in this small East African nation, one of the four poorest nations on earth, however, was a desire for reconciliation—not revenge—and it still runs deep today. The University of Ngozi in northern Burundi was created in 1999 and is now dedicated to peace, reconciliation and sustainable development. People in this region tell remarkable stories of tragedy and recovery amid these horrors. Their stories can inspire others to preserve their humanity and resist the urge to continue the violence, focusing instead on forgiveness, reconciliation and a better way forward. This volume presents case study analysis while pointing to the promise of a new kind of education that is committed to sustainable peace and development. The lessons here for the rest of the world are deep and inspiring.