Denise Bucumi-Nkurunziza
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Denise Bucumi-Nkurunziza (born 1 December 1969) is a
Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...
an ordained minister who was
First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...
of Burundi from 2005 to 2020 as the wife of
Pierre Nkurunziza Pierre Nkurunziza (18 December 19648 June 2020) was a Burundian politician who served as the ninth president of Burundi for almost 15 years from August 2005 until his death in June 2020. A member of the Hutu ethnic group, Nkurunziza taught ph ...
. She is the only ordained minister who has served as a first lady of any African nation. Denise Bucumi-Nkurunziza was born in Gatsinda, Mwumba in
Ngozi Province Ngozi Province is one of the 18 provinces of Burundi. The name Ngozi stands for ''blessing''. Communes It is divided administratively into the following communes: * Commune of Busiga * Commune of Gashikanwa * Commune of Kiremba * Commune of ...
on 1 December 1969. She married Pierre Nkurunziza in 1994 shortly before Nkurunziza was forced to go into hiding in the early stages of the Burundian Civil War. He subsequently entered the rebel
National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy The National Council for the Defense of DemocracyForces for the Defense of Democracy (french: Conseil National Pour la Défense de la DémocratieForces pour la Défense de la Démocratie, CNDD–FDD) is the major political party in Burundi. Durin ...
(''Conseil National Pour la Défense de la Démocratie – Forces pour la Défense de la Démocratie'', CNDD–FDD) and rose though its ranks. A series of agreements in 2003 paved the way for the CNDD–FDD to be reintegrated into politics. Bucumi-Nkurunziza was reunited with her husband after several years of separation. Both Bucumi-Nkurunziza and her husband were
born-again Christian Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...
s and Evangelical Protestants. Bucumi-Nkurunziza became an ordained minister and was involved in charitable activities under her foundation Buntu as First Lady. She authored an autobiography, published with L'Harmattan. The couple had six children. On the morning of 28 May 2020, she was airlifted to Nairobi, Kenya to be treated for COVID-19 during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Burundi The COVID-19 pandemic in Burundi is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Burundi on 25 March 2020. B ...
at Aga Khan University Hospital. Her husband died on 8 June 2020 in Karuzi. Although the cause of death was stated to be a heart attack, it was widely suspected that he had died of COVID-19.


Authography

*''The Power of Hope: The First Lady of Burundi. My Story'' (Paris: L'Harmattan, 2013).


References

Living people 1969 births First Ladies and Gentlemen of Burundi Burundian Christian clergy Burundian Christians People from Ngozi Province {{Burundi-politician-stub