The second Great Lakes Course was held in Bujumbura, Burundi from 9 to 15 July. The course was directed by Jason Stearns of Yale University, author of the recent Dancing in the Glory of Monsters, and Ben Shepherd, former Great Lakes specialist at the UK Foreign Office. New teaching staff this year included Filip Reyntjens, Mvemba Dizolele, Koen Vlassenroot, Mathilde Muhindo, Pascale Kambale and Steven Hege. Teaching, with simultaneous translation in French and English, was complemented by a historical tour of Bujumbura, hippo watching, an evening of Burundian drumming, a presentation on the history of Congolese pop music and a film screening and discussion with director Leonce Ngabo in Bujumbura’s last remaining cinema.