Eliane Becks Nininahazwe is a Burundian singer and musician, who is also known for promoting

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

awareness both in Burundi, and in the

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where she now lives.

Career

Eliane Becks Nininahazwe was born and raised in Murira, Commune of Gihanga,

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 ...

. She was brought up during the fighting between the

Hutu The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic or social group which is native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the prin ...

and

Tutsi The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic grou ...

tribes, which resulted in the death of her sister during childbirth as they could not get her to a hospital. She was diagnosed with

Type 1 diabetes Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that originates when cells that make insulin (beta cells) are destroyed by the immune system. Insulin is a hormone required for the cells to use blood sugar for ...

, and suffered from

hyperglycaemia Hyperglycemia is a condition in which an excessive amount of glucose circulates in the blood plasma. This is generally a blood sugar level higher than 11.1 mmol/L (200 mg/dL), but symptoms may not start to become noticeable until even ...

. Nininahazwe managed to control her blood sugar levels through regular checks. She fell pregnant, and her boyfriend left her, but she decided to keep the child. Four months after the birth, she met Dutchman Michael Becks, and with him moved to

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for his work. She attended the hospital there for her diabetes when during a routine check, she was diagnosed with

. After a bad experience at that hospital, she sought medical treatment in South Africa. Because of the stigma against HIV in Africa, the couple hid her medication whenever they travelled across borders in that continent. They then moved to the

, where she founded her company Indonongo, named after the one stringed instrument made from a cow's horn which she plays. Such is the rarity of the instrument in the Netherlands, that she brings back parts and equipment whenever she returns to Burundi. She has since become an AIDS/HIV activist, promoting knowledge of the issues around the disease and fighting against the stigma still prevalent in Africa. Nininahazwe continues to openly promote AIDS awareness, with her being one of roughly two hundred people promoting World AIDS Day in 2015 on the official website. As part of the celebrations in the following year, she sang at an event in the Netherlands promoting AIDS awareness and celebrating the work of the Netherlands drama ''No Socks No Shoes''. Also in 2016, she was named one of the winners of that year's Voice Achievers Awards, winning the African Inspiration Award.

Personal life

She is married with children, and now lives in

Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a city and municipality in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, about 20 km from the city of Utrecht and 40 km south east of Amsterdam. As of 1 December 2021, the municipality had a population of 158,531, making it the second- ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nininahazwe, Elaine Becks Living people Burundian women singers HIV/AIDS activists 21st-century women singers 21st-century dancers Female dancers People with type 1 diabetes Year of birth missing (living people)