Allow me to share these topics with you through my life’s experience:

How to deal with different failures in life, Finding and pursuing your
passions, Relationships, Patience, Parent’s life Guidance, The Power of Prayer.

I love writing…

It is a sunny Monday morning and with a pen in my hand,

I put my heart,my convictions, my fears, my passions,my dreams, my commitments, my strengths, my weaknesses, my LIFE on this piece of paper.

Once, the one I cherish the most in my life told me: “You can’t do Communication Sciences. Journalists are not well paid in Burundi. Do something like Medical Sciences so you can be a Doctor. You have very good results, you can do it. ”

And I told him: “Father, with all respect to you, I won’t. I’m going to pursue my passion. Communication is all I love.”… This is the story of my life….

My name is Darlène KEZA, I’m 26 years old and I was born on the 5th day of February, a day which is so meaningful to me today as a Burundian: In fact, on this day we celebrate unity between Burundians.
Let me go on, you will probably understand why I’m saying this.

I often hear this from Burundians: ” There is no future in our Country. We can’t get anything good from this country. The only thing we know to do is killing each other, we are only good in making disorders”.

I understand we can easily say this while feeling hopeless because of all we are going through and all we went through in Burundi.

Burundians’ hearts can sometimes be tired and overwhelmed.
I used to think the same way about my country until I decided to see things differently….. Yes, until God put this conviction in my heart: “You have been created for a purpose. Be a source of hope in your country.”

All I know is He will make a way where there seems to be no way and all He can ask me is to be a change maker in my community and my country, by using the most little things I have, by using the talents He has put in my life, by using the brain and passions He gave me when He created me.
My life is a whole testimony about “living fully the life God has created you to live.”

When I was in  secondary school, I’ve failed in my first year because I didn’t get serious on my studies. I remember to have cried and got upset thinking about my classmates who were going to advance without me, the shame I was going to have, etc….My parents looked at me that day and told me: “This is not the end of your life . You are going to succeed next year.” I appreciated the way they behaved with me, because before this failure, they did the best they could do as parents to advise me to get serious on my studies.

So, when they saw me crying this day, they probably thought: “We can’t raise her pain”. They could see all the pain and regrets through my tears. Then, they decided to encourage me. I’m always learning from adults’ wisdom.

From my failure, I decided then to be the best student I can be. The following year, I just decided to work hard and get serious with my studies, and along all this school year, I was the second student  in my classroom with great results. Then, until I finished my secondary studies, I became a so brilliant student with very good results for I was committed to be the best student I can be and not to fail anymore.
Do not let your failures define you: learn from your mistakes and use that to be a better version of you.

But then….A challenge was waiting for me and I didn’t know yet…

When came the time to choose my field at University, I wanted to do Journalism but instead of this, I choosed Communication Sciences because there is no Journalism Option in my country. The only and one reason which pushed me to choose Communication Sciences was the passion I have for Communicating, informing and get informed, this passion to put on piece of papers my ideas and my thoughts, this passion to express myself on a radio or TV Station, making a public presentation, discussing about a topic in peers of groups, sharing ideas, producing videos and documentary films, etc….It was all about my passion. I believe we always find success when we do things we love the most in our life.

Once , the one I cherish the most in my life told me: “You can’t do Communication Sciences. Journalists are not well paid in Burundi. Do something like Medical Sciences so you can be a Doctor. You have very good results, you are able to do it.”
And I told him: “Father, with all respect to you, I won’t. I’m going to pursue my passion. Communication is all I love.”

In fact, my parents wished I could do Medical Sciences but definitely let me pursuing my passion. Later on, I realized our parents are our great leaders and the reason for which they didn’t want me to do Communication Sciences was simply because they wanted to see me rich, having a beautiful life later on.
On this point, I think parents and children should discuss frequently and openly not only about education but about many other life’s aspects. Then, parents will provide the best life guidance to their children. We need effective and interactive communication between the two parts.

Dears, don’t be afraid to live fully the life you were created to live. Don’t be afraid to stand up and fight for your passions and for what you love.

I passionately studied this field, spent easily so many nights without sleeping, preparing for exams: This is the power of Passion. I finished University with very good results, and the only secret about my successful results was the passion I had for the Communication field.

But….Again after that , the most challenging situation in my life was waiting for me and I didn’t know yet….

Few years after my University studies, I remember having had such heartbreak that I got into depression for a while but what I learned from this is God can really heal you from a heartbreak, no matter how painful it may be.
I also learned that you don’t need to rush into another relationship to take revenge or to forget the first one. You’ll be destroying yourself. I think you need to be healed first and deal with the root causes of the rupture, taking time to be alone if necessary and be strong, you also need to think clearly about the kind of partner you need, pray for her or him and patiently waiting, taking time to believe in love once again before getting involved into another relationship.
Yes , as it is said: Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.

At this time, I remember I was feeling desperate,alone and discouraged because even after my graduation I didn’t have a job yet. I even remember to have done an Internship at a Telecomunication Office, being promised to be taken on a board for the hardworker I was but it never happened. I was like: “Everything I’m trying to get, fails.”
I tried so many times to apply for different jobs without any success.
I used to look myself in the mirror, at this time and saw myself as a FAILURE. If someone could ask me at this time the meaning of failure, I think I would have answered: “Me. I’m really the meaning of failure.”

Despite all what was happening in my life at this time, I prayed God to put/ get me out this situation.

Because of Burundi crisis, at a certain time, the station Radio for which I used to work ,closed its doors.

One day, while talking about how we can pursue our passions with a wise lady, this one told me: “I think Journalism and Communication are not about the radios that have been closed. It is about the passion that lies in your heart and the skills you got until now.”
I began then to write some articles about my friends, their passions, Burundian’s struggles and challenges, etc…Some people began to tell me: ” You are a good writer. We love your articles. They are inspirational.”

Then, came an idea to organize some conferences, beside writing success stories, to inspire youth in Burundi, especially youth from Bujumbura my city. The man idea behind that was to tell them: “You may not find a job just like me even with good results at University and secondary school,….But do not lose hope. At least practice your passion, search for a way. Don’t stay at home sleeping. Try something. You never know what can be the outcome of what you are doing.”
From my passion for Communication, then I came on the point to create Stories Behind Success, a Burundian Communication agency.

I remember when I was applying for Young African Leaders Initiative Cohort 17, I just knelt down and said to God: “Father, allow me to be selected please.” Some weeks after, I got an email saying I was selected to participate to the program. Then, I realized that I could still try something and succeed on it.
YALI would have been the great experience ever I got in my life. From there, I found the purpose of my life through different courses, through different facilitators, through different fellow’s experience. It was really a plan of God to go there. From there, I made a commitment to make SBS an  African Chanel TV Station one day, and I am working on it little by little. I don’t see myself as a failure anymore.
If I am asked what I am doing actually, I proudly answer: “I’m founder of Stories Behind Success, a Burundian Communication agency.” I know it may be a hard journey, but I will make it. Maybe not immediately but definitely and absolutely. SBS will be great one day!!!

And then about my country: Dear Burundi, SBS is committed to make you great. To put you on the map.
SBS will show and talk about your beautiful landscapes…

SBS promises to show the world how ambitious, talented and gifted is the youth of Burundi. SBS will fight and contribute to strenghten Burundian’s unity. Because We really need to come to the end of the ethnicity issues in my beloved BURUNDI.

I will invite different people from all over the world in SBS conferences to inspire youth and all Burundians and make them believe that Burundi can rise and shine, just like Rwanda did and why not Singapore? Burundi is full of wealth, natural resources like Nickel…I think what we need is a good and conscious management of what we have, and with that being said,  a good leadership.

The last but not the least. For everyone who is going to take time to read this, let me sum up the story of my life by telling you this:

” Live fully the life you were created to live!

Be passionate! Raise your bar! Dream big and make your dreams happen. Learn from your failures and mistakes: Don’t let your failures define you; instead let them strengthen you, challenge you and make you the best person.

Love deeply and sincerely like it was the last time you love: Live! Laugh! Dream! Pray! Believe.

Be fearless and never apologize for being you: always stay true to yourself.

And  most importantly, don’t be jealous: jealousy will avoid you to see those little things that make you the most blessed person on this earth. Jealousy will bring barriers in your mindset. When you’re jealous, instead of thinking how you can make your life successful, you always complain and compare yourself to others. Run your own race and seek to be the best man/ woman you can be: Then you will live fully the life you were created to live.

 

Darlène KEZA.