Burundi originated in the 16th century as a small kingdom in the African Great Lakes region. After European contact, it was united with the Kingdom of Rwanda, becoming the colony of Ruanda-Urundi - first colonised by Germany and then by Belgium. The colony gained independence in 1962, and split once again into Rwanda and Burundi. It is one of the few countries in Africa to be a direct territorial continuation of a pre-colonial era African state.
Cyprien Ntaryamira was a Burundian politician who served as President of Burundi from 5 February 1994 until his death two months later. A Hutu born in Burundi, Ntaryamira studied there before fleeing to Rwanda to avoid ethnic violence and complete his education. Active in a Burundian student movement, he cofounded the socialist Burundi Workers' Party and earned an agricultural degree. In 1983 he returned to Burundi and worked agricultural jobs, though he was briefly detained as a political prisoner. In 1986 he cofounded the Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU), and in 1993 FRODEBU won Burundi's general elections. He subsequently became the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry on 10 July, but in October Tutsi soldiers killed the president and other top officials in an attempted coup.
Mwambutsa IV Bangiricenge was the penultimate king of Burundi who ruled between 1915 and 1966. He succeeded to the throne on the death of his father Mutaga IV Mbikije. Born while Burundi was under German colonial rule, Mwambutsa's reign mostly coincided with Belgian colonial rule (1916–62). The Belgians retained the monarchs of both Rwanda and Burundi under the policy of indirect rule.
Sylvestre Ntibantunganya is a Burundian politician. He was President of the National Assembly of Burundi from 23 December 1993 to 30 September 1994, and President of Burundi from 6 April 1994 to 25 July 1996.
The Burundian Civil War was a civil war in Burundi lasting from 1993 to 2005. The civil war was the result of longstanding ethnic divisions between the Hutu and the Tutsi ethnic groups. The conflict began following the first multi-party elections in the country since its independence from Belgium in 1962, and is seen as formally ending with the swearing-in of President Pierre Nkurunziza in August 2005. Children were widely used by both sides in the war. The estimated death toll stands at 300,000.
Alexis Sinduhije is a Burundian journalist and politician. After founding Radio Publique Africaine during the Burundi Civil War, Sinduhije received a CPJ International Press Freedom Award and was named to the Time 100 list of most influential people. In 2007, he left journalism to run for president, but was arrested in 2008 on a charge of "insulting the president," Pierre Nkurunziza, drawing protests on his behalf from the U.S., U.K., and Amnesty International. He was found not guilty and released in 2009. The film "Kamenge, Northern Quarters" follows Sinduhije before, during, and after his incarceration.
Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley where the African Great Lakes region and East Africa converge. It is bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and southeast, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Lake Tanganyika lies along its southwestern border. The capital cities are Gitega and Bujumbura, the latter of which is the country's largest city.
William Sami Étienne Grigahcine, known by his stage name DJ Snake, is a French record producer, DJ and songwriter, first achieving international recognition in 2013 by releasing an instrumentation-oriented single called "Turn Down for What".
Shassiri Nahimana is a Burundian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Vital'O FC and the Burundi national football team.
Bizimana Aboubakar Karume, better known by his stage name SAT-B, is a Burundian recording artist, singer, songwriter, dancer, and performer. Sat-B is the CEO of Empire Avenue, a music management label.
Jean-Pierre Nimbona, also referred to as Kidum, is a Burundian musician. He was named Best Male Artist of East Africa at the 2012 Kora Awards. He was named as an Ambassador for Peace, a position that helps to foster hope and reconciliation in East Africa.
Hakizimana Yussuf known as Kebby Boy is a Burundian singer and songwriter of pop, rap and afrobeats, currently signed to IBN Music France. He is best known for his single "Sina Lawama", a song mixing the pop style and the afro pop style.
Neza Patricia Masozera,(born 23 December 1984) better known by her stage name Neza, is a Rwandan-Canadian based afropop singer. In 2017, she was awarded as the "Most Promising Artist in Africa" by All Africa Music Awards.
Irakoze Erica, professionally known as Miss Erica, is a Burundian Singer-songwriter.
The Ikiza, or the Ubwicanyi (Killings), was a series of mass killings—often characterised as a genocide—which were committed in Burundi in 1972 by the Tutsi-dominated army and government, primarily against educated and elite Hutus who lived in the country. Conservative estimates place the death toll of the event between 100,000 and 150,000 killed, while some estimates of the death toll go as high as 300,000.
On 21 October 1993, a coup was attempted in Burundi by a Tutsi–dominated army faction. The coup attempt resulted in assassination of Hutu President Melchior Ndadaye and the deaths of other officials in the constitutional line of presidential succession. François Ngeze was presented as the new President of Burundi by the army, but the coup failed under domestic and international pressure, leaving Prime Minister Sylvie Kinigi in charge of the government.
Dushimirimana Eric, better known by his stage name Spoks Man, is a Burundian singer-songwriter, talk show host and news presenter at Best Entertainment Television in Bujumbura, Burundi.
William Nicholaus Lyimo, popularly known by his stage name Bill Nass, is a Tanzanian rapper of Chagga heritage, he was born in Tanga, Tanga Region. MTV Base named him among the "50 Artists To Watch For In 2017". He is currently based in Dar es Salaam. Months after the release of his debut single "Raha", Lyimo was nominated on 2015's Kilimanjaro Tanzania Music Awards (KTMA) as a "New Best Artist".
Parfait Hakizimana is a Burundian parataekwondo practitioner who currently resides in Rwanda. He will represent the Refugee Paralympic Team at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in the under 61 kg category.
Ramadhani Ciza, professionally known by his stage name DJ PRO, is one of the most successful Burundian recording artists, singers, songwriters., rap and rnb, Dj Pro was born and bred in Bujumbura city. Dj Pro is also the CEO of Tp Entertainment, a Music management label and Platform show media online. Dj Pro is also a brand ambassador of Casablanca Restaurant, He is best known for his single " Katoto", a song mixing the rap style and the rnb style.
