The Boy Who Didn’t Fight

In 2015, as political violence spread across Burundi, university student Justin Girukwigomba fled Bujumbura after the police killing of his close friend Jean-Nepo Komezamahoro, and increasing pressure on young men to join the armed rebellion.

After narrowly escaping to Rwanda, Justin abandoned plans to become a fighter and instead rebuilt his life in Kigali alongside other young Burundian refugees. This short film follows his life in exile as he reflects on grief, manipulation, survival, and the uncertain routines of displacement. Unable to formally work in Rwanda, Justin now lives in suspension - separated from his family and trying to imagine a future beyond the violence he escaped.