A tribute to my cool brother Albert

In my agony, fear, powerlessness and uselessness, I am thinking about my brother Albert, another sibling lost because of diabetes and blood pressure. My heart cries for living while I am struggling with diabetes for 20 years. To lose my second brother to diabetes is devastating and I am refusing to drown in negativity although I am affected by these deaths in my family. I now lost a sister to cancer, a sister to anaemia, and now two brothers to complicated diabetes.

As I was crying this morning my youngest Son Akira came and hugged me and said ”Mama those kind of things happen in our life, and you have to be strong!” The message touched me and I kept on asking myself, why do I have to lose so many people every year and be prepared for a funeral call? How much stronger do I have to be? But Akira is right, I need to be strong for my children. As someone who suffers the same disease which took already two of my siblings, I need to stay strong and fight to stay healthy and see my kids grow up.

So I decided to search my sweetest memories of brother Albert, who was number two in the family as I was number ten, the youngest. He was way older than me back then but he still was my greatest inspiration; I have great memories of him calling me Matoroshi when I was 4 years old. It means big torch, or big eyes. Up to his very last days, he was the only one in my family who continued to call me Matoroshi.

He would play with me so I would not fall asleep before diner was ready. He taught me how to dance rock and roll dung the wedding parties in my village Murira. He would take me with him to those party and first show me how to move after I would steal the show. He was best known in my village as mr White, because he dressed mostly in white clothes, very clean and cool guy. The best Designer in the whole of Bubanza Province and he could draw you as a person with no mistake!

He was my coolest brother ever! He left us with many more memories, and his ten children, the rest of the family and friends will miss him.

May his Soul rest in peace.

Eliane.

King’s day in Amersfoort

Amersfoort is a beautiful City and I am proud of being an Amersfoorter. This year King Willem-Alexander celebrated his birthday together with His family in Amersfoort. I was lucky to be a tiny part of this whole movement of activities. I love being an activist, when it is the time to speak out during different events. This time it’s not about ME it was about US, the 132 Nationalities in Amersfoort, representing our Countries. 

On king’s day, we were divided in two groups along the Zuidsingel: One to stand along the road and the other group to stand in a boat to welcome the King, Queen and their whole family. Many of us were excited to shake the hands of the King and Queen. It’s an opportunity in a lifetime. When we were in the boat, some were complaining that their dream of shaking hands with Queen Maxima was gone. Many had a lot of expectations. Yes, everybody had in mind to shake hands with royalty. 

But when I saw that I had been chosen to be in the boat, I told other women to just have fun where we are because there was no guarantee that we were going to get our handshake. When the time came, there was music and we were having fun. You know, me and music I can’t stand still. So we danced and waved. And we did get our moment when the King came to wave at us and I was able to make eye contact and wish him a happy birthday. This was not caught on TV because the focus is on the King and not on us in the water. So we remained invisible, at the end it is the King who has a birthday! 

So we played our small role in the two and a half hour movie of our king’s visit to Amersfoort. And I kept wondering why everybody wanted to shake hands with Queen Maxima or King Willem? And I thought that this was it, I would go back to join the WIJ Amersfoort party. So we went back to the boat station, but when we got out we could not move as exactly at that moment the royals were passing. And then the unexpected moment came... Queen Maxima approached us and shook her hand with me. We looked at each other and I knew she recognized me from the boat. Another great moment unseen again, no camera, no selfie...  

If you would ask me how I feel now, I would tell you to be proud of who you are and where you come from. WE are one people and at some point we are are all connected to one another. My precious moment with our Queen is a good example of how in the end we all get what we deserve.  

Peace . 

Eliane