The Alliance des Burundais du Canada, ABC for short, has grown wings by officially and democratically creating a local chapter, enabling it to fly higher and further. It’s a brand-new governing body of ABC Ottawa-Gatineau, whose members, five in number, handily won a ballot organized at an annual meeting held this Saturday, March 4, 2017.
The CBA had just marked the occasion, demonstrating to the world its ability to live up to the trust placed in it by its members, who had expressed the wish, at their last general meeting, to see the organization become more democratic by, in particular, bringing its management structures closer to its members at grassroots level.
At the end of the ballot, a simple and concrete speech by the President-elect, Charles Makaza, was enough to give a glimpse of his willingness to open up to members, to take their needs and ideas into account: “I’ve understood everything”, he said in substance; “I’m going to do everything I can to live up to your desiderata, and it will be an honor and a pleasant duty for me to be able to serve you”.
It’s important to note that change must be seen here as something more than just a word, because it’s a whole concept. Change of mentality in the sense of knowing that the essential achievements must be the fruit of the efforts of the organization’s members, and not of some hypothetical elsewhere. Members are the association’s greatest asset, and they need to be constantly aware of this fact. Haven’t they promised to be more regular in paying their dues? A fine commitment if ever there was one, and a commendable promise of material support for their organization.
Change also means knowing that, even if the new section has been granted a certain degree of autonomy, this is not a secession, but rather a branch that must take initiatives, inspired by the global vision, values and missions of a united and supportive ABC, whose motto is: “United we stand, divided we fall”. Lastly, change means knowing that a new Burundi, as dreamed of by ABC, is a nation devoid of the throes of hatred and division, a country governed by the rule of law, where all citizens have equal rights and opportunities, and where no one has the right to take another’s life with impunity, to deprive them of their property or to arbitrarily deprive them of their freedom.
The newly-elected President expressed his willingness to be inspired by the strategic plan enriched by the members of the annual meeting; a plan which, he indicated with relief, fits in perfectly with his vision.
Needless to say, he is eager to embark on a vast project, alongside the federal CBA, which will contribute to making the CBA an organization capable of federating the expectations of Burundians in Canada and opening up to other brothers and sisters in other diasporas spread over five continents. The task won’t necessarily be easy,” he emphasized, pointing out in passing that he has enough willpower, strength and method to get the job done.
As for his team, it’s made up of people from the field who are far from novices in the community and associative sectors. They include Justine Nkurunziza as Vice-Chairwoman, Florian Bizindavyi as General Secretary, Ernest-Parfait Ngabirano as Treasurer and Elvis Nkunzimana as Assistant Treasurer.
The team was congratulated by André Dunduri, the current President of the federal CBA. He was keen to point out that the official establishment of a governing body for the Ottawa-Gatineau branch of the CBA was the fulfillment of a commitment to progressively and officially establish local branches as an extension of the CBA’s activities across Canada.
The establishment of a supervisory body was no less important. It was born of the ideal that an organization should not be entrusted with responsibilities, especially in the field of heritage management, without being able to assess how well they have been taken into account.
Its members were elected after committing themselves, one after the other during a mini-campaign, to the demand for accountability. Lionel Ntunzwenimana will be Chairman, assisted by Gilbert Hakizimana and Léa Muzakare.
It’s worth noting that the annual meeting was able to take place in an appropriate setting for exchange and conviviality, thanks in large part to the Cité (former collegiate town), which lent a helping hand by graciously placing a modern hall at its disposal.
It’s also worth noting that, in addition to the hundred or so people who attended this annual event, some twenty new members signed up on the same day, helping to expand the family.
Still others were detained by social obligations, but were nonetheless keen to demonstrate their attachment to the event through proxies, documents duly taken into account by the registration teams.
Alliance des Burundais du Canada, ABC, March 6, 2017