MELODIOUS KHADJA NIN

Stunning and Melodious Khadja Nin

Singer, songwriter, mother, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Khadja Nin was born and raised in Burundi in a family of eight children. “Music was always there,” says Khadja as she was growing up. Khadja's greatest aspiration was to become like the African songstress Miriam Makeba.

At the age of 16, she left her family and moved to then Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo) to pursue her studies. At the age of 17, she met her future husband and moved with him into Zaire forest, where they ran some lodges for tourists in search of big thrills. Whilst there she had her son. At this point in time music to Khadja was merely a dream that would never come true.

In 1980, her life took a dramatic twist as the events that soon unfolded changed her life. She left Africa for Europe with her new family, a move which proved very tough. She first lost some of her close relatives. Then her husband suddenly died. “I was left alone with my child in a foreign country and I didn’t know anybody,” she remembers. “I applied for jobs, sometimes the lowest ones in order to make a living.”


In 1985, she met a talented musician Nicolas Fiszman, who fell artistically in love with Khadja's music talent - “this princess from out of the blue” remarks Nicolas. Soon they began to write songs together. “Nicolas is the Nin of Khadja Nin.” declares Khadja Nin.

In 1991, seduced by this duet with a unique blend of African and European sounds, BMG signed them on the spot. There was no hype on World music at the time, so they contributed to its blossoming. Their eponymous debut album was “critically acclaimed,” as Khadja says and commercially, it was a relative success too, motivating her decision to dedicate herself exclusively to music from then on.

Her second album, Ya Pili was released in 1994. She performed live numerous times - “Something essential in one’s musical career. Being on stage is the only way to improve, take risks and directly thank your fans,” she says. It was also a good way to prove that she was a complete artist.

Real fame came in 1996. In an attempt to buy itself some cultural credibility and to make a break from previous fake projects, a reputed French TV channel TFI, selected Khadja Nin as its “summer act” with her third album Sambolera, (which consisted of broadcasting one of the artist’s videos several times a day during the summer). It could have been a risky choice for the channel, as well as for Khadja herself. “People often asked if I was not afraid of being swallowed up by TF1. The answer is - I’m not edible. This opportunity just helped me to reach a larger audience and to move faster. As I knew exactly where I stood, I did not fear anything for my own credibility.”

The future proved her right. Her career and her music kept the same level of credibility after she had sold more than 420,000 copies of “Sambolera” worldwide; a huge success for her partners and a big acknowledgment from France and the rest of Europe.


Listen to Khadja Nin
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PIERRE NKURUNZIZA BURUNDI

A Born Again Ex-Rebel Leader President Nkurunziza and the First Lady of Burundi
Photo by Issa Michuzi

Pierre Nkurunziza was born in December of 1963, in the northern province of Ngozi, Burundi. The son of a former governor, he had a sister and six brothers, two of whom died during the killings following the assassination of Hutu President Melchior Ndadaye by disgruntled soldiers in 1993. Three others are reported to have died in the bush. Mr Nkurunziza is married, with two sons, aged nine and 11. He has become a born-again Protestant, and is described by those close to him as religious but devoid of fundamentalism. Nkurunziza belongs to the younger generation of Hutu leaders, whose political and military careers started after President Ndadaye's killing.

Before joining the rebels, he was a teacher, and was not known for his political activities. "I was pushed into rebellion by the inter-ethnic massacres that were taking place at the university in 1995," he says.

Nkurunziza faces the challenges of elevating the standard of living of millions of Burundians, which has plummeted during the 12 years of civil war, compounded by endemic official corruption. At the same time, he has to reassure the minority Tutsis that their future is secure in a democratic government led by a Hutu majority. His government will also have to facilitate and engage the only reported active rebel group, the National Liberation Forces, in dialogue with the hopes of reaching a peace agreement.

President Nkurunziza used to coach a football team in Burundi's first division

Nkurunziza always makes time for football, despite the pressure and demands of managing a sensitive political transition in his war-wracked country.

His nickname is "East Africa's footballing president"; he studied sports education at the University of Burundi and became a physical education lecturer.

Three days a week, the football loving striker dons his kit and joins his now popular team, Haleluya FC, for matches or training sessions. "The name simply thanks God for what he has done for Burundi," says the president.

"In everything we do we have to remember it is because of him. And when fans watch us playing in jerseys emblazoned with the word Haleluya, there is no doubt in them that this is a God-fearing nation,'' he says.