Small Country

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Once I got into the rhythm of this, which is to say, reading in French, and getting past the need to look up too many new words, I couldn't put this down, by the time I found my own reading rhythm, the life of Gaby and his sister Ana, his parents, his friends had its claws in me and I had to know what was going to happen next. His only real worry at that time was watching the distance and separation growing between his mother, who was from Rwanda and his French ex pat father. a et b Marie-Catherine Mardi, « Gaël Faye, ce qui ne tue pas rend plus fort», RFI, 26 septembre 2012 In terms of the war, I still remember it being in the news frequently during the mid-90s. I knew the basics. But I didn't know that it spilled over into Burundi, a neighbouring country. I'm not sure that I'd even heard of Burundi at that point. The author has given me a glimpse of what it might have been like, through the eyes of a child. There's only a touch of the political, but a strong focus on the family and the neighbourhood; the things that matter to a small boy. But even so, some of the images of conflict become quite graphic at times. As the story's climax approached I was willing Gabriel to follow his instincts, and to hold onto his innocence a little longer. But that's the problem with being a child, particularly during a time of war - what little agency they have is difficult to hold on to.

Un documentaire diffusé par France Ô, intitulé Quand deux fleuves se rencontrent, réalisé par Nicolas Bozino et Toumani Sangaré, retrace son parcours. This almost feels like two different stories, and in a way it is just that. The first part features a ten year old boy, Gabby, his sister And, his mother who was from Rwanda and his father, who is a French ex pat. It is marked by the innocence of youth, of being able to live a somewhat privileged life in a safe community. His days spent playing with his friends, their rivalry with a boy named Frances, his only worry the disintegrating relationship of his parents. In Burundi, the first democratic election is soon to be held, and people have high hopes for their country. Gabriel’s struggle is to remain apart from the conflict, not take a side, to continue on in exuberant youth with his band of friends… which he does as long as he can, until there can be no more avoidance, just fear and the terrible choices to be made. The reality that confronts this ten year old boy and his family – his whole country for that matter – is the stuff of nightmares. These are horrors the likes of which we here in America can’t possibly conceive, and glimpse only in movies and books from the comfort of our cushy sofas. Speaking at least for myself, that is. Faye adds that in the end he went with the child’s point of view because, “It was more poetic. When you’re a child, you’re not trying to find a solution. You don’t look for excuses for violence, ethnicity, war. The perspective was more interesting.”He is as influenced by Creole literature as he is by hip hop culture, and released an album in 2010 with the group Milk Coffee & Sugar. In 2013, his first solo album, Pili Pili sur un Croissant au Beurre, appeared. It was recorded between Bujumbura and Paris, and is filled with a plethora of musical influences: rap laced with soul and jazz, semba, Congolese rumba... In 2018 he received the prestigious Victoires de la Musique Award. The relationship between violence and fear & the parallels between the children's street conflicts and the war. AFP, « De France aux collines rwandaises, le combat d'un couple pour traquer les génocidaires», La Croix,‎ 27 janvier 2021 ( ISSN 0242-6056, lire en ligne, consulté le 23 février 2021)

Astrid de Larminat, « Gaël Faye, lauréat du prix du roman Fnac», Le Figaro,‎ 1 er septembre 2016 ( ISSN 0182-5852, lire en ligne, consulté le 5 septembre 2016) . For Gaby and Ana, Bujumbura is home, it is where they belong. Each day unfolds according to routine, as the domestics arrive, the gate is opened, thy prepare for school, are driven there, there is a little change as Gaby begins college and new friendships develop. His close friends live in the same alleyway, the twins, Gino, Armand. And Francis who they conflict with. They hang out in an abandoned Combi, talking, laughing, planning things. RV: In the book, I was moved by how Gabriel’s mother carries her grief. Is the role of the artist to help process trauma? Gaël Faye, emporté par la foule», Marianne,‎ 15 septembre 2017 ( lire en ligne, consulté le 21 mars 2018) .Nommé au prix Charles-Cros des lycéens lors de la sélection-2020-2021 pour sa chanson Respire [30 ] One day he had me listen to a song by Gaël [Faye] and that was yet something else. Not only did he write very, very well but there was a narrative. He was already storytelling.”