Colette Samoya Kirura

Samoya Kirura was born in Nyakirwa in 1952.^[1] She was the first girl from her village to attend secondary school and went on to become one of the first Burundian women to earn a master's degree, graduating in geography and history.^[2] She subsequently worked as a college professor.^[2]

She was a candidate in the 1982 parliamentary elections and was elected to the National Assembly, becoming one of the first group of female members of the legislature.^[2] She remained in the National Assembly until the 1987 coup, after which she became head of the Union of Burundian Women, a role she held until 1991.^[2]

In 1992 Samoya Kirura was appointed Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, the first woman to represent Burundi.^[1] After leaving the post in 1994, she founded the "Bangwe et dialogue" peace organisation in 1998.^[2] She later lived in Geneva and became a consultant for NGO projects.^[1] In 2002 she published a book La femme au regard triste (The woman with the sad eyes).^[1]