Small Country
Burundi

Small Country

by Gaël Faye

Coming of Age Historical Fiction 2016

Summary

Set in Burundi in the early 1990s, Petit pays follows Gabriel, a ten-year-old boy growing up in Bujumbura, the country’s capital. Living with his French father, Rwandan mother, and younger sister, Gabriel enjoys an idyllic childhood filled with adventures with his friends, bicycle rides, and the simple pleasures of everyday life. But as his parents’ relationship begins to unravel, political tensions intensify, and the approaching civil war threatens the peaceful world he has always known.

Through Gabriel’s innocent yet increasingly troubled perspective, Gaël Faye portrays the devastating impact of conflict on childhood, family, and belonging. As violence spreads through Burundi and the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi unfolds in neighbouring Rwanda, Gabriel is forced to confront his own mixed heritage and the painful realities of a divided society.

Blending nostalgia with the brutality of history, the novel explores the loss of innocence, the fragility of home, and the lasting scars of displacement. Inspired by the author’s own experiences, Petit pays is a moving reflection on childhood interrupted by violence and the struggle to preserve one’s identity amid historical upheaval.

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About the author
Gaël Faye
Gaël Faye

Gaël Faye is a French-Rwandan writer, rapper, and musician born in 1982 in Bujumbura, Burundi, to a French father and a Rwandan mother. His childhood was shaped by the political violence that swept through the Great Lakes region of Africa. In 1995, following the outbreak of the Burundian civil war and the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in neighbouring Rwanda, he moved to France as a teenager. Faye initially pursued a career in finance before turning to music and literature. He gained recognition as a rapper and released his debut solo album, Pili Pili sur un croissant au beurre, in 2013. His musical work blends hip-hop with African influences and often explores themes of exile, identity, memory, and belonging. His debut novel, Petit pays (Small Country), was published in 2016 and draws on his childhood experiences in Burundi. The book received the prestigious Prix Goncourt des Lycéens and was translated into numerous languages. In 2024, his second novel, Jacaranda, won the Prix Renaudot. Through both music and literature, Faye explores the personal consequences of historical violence and the complex relationships between memory, family, and cultural identity.

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Details
Published
2016
Author
Gaël Faye