Eulalie Nibizi
Eulalie Nibizi, born in June 1960 in Burundi, is a prominent educator and human rights activist. After studying at the Normal School of Rusengo and earning a degree in French language and literature from the University of Burundi, she began her career as a teacher and school administrator. Nibizi became increasingly aware of the systemic challenges faced by educators in her country, notably low salaries, which led her to co-found a teachers' trade union in 1992 and subsequently serve as its leader.
Her activism expanded to broader human rights issues, particularly advocating for women's rights, where she has reported significant improvements in women's representation in public institutions. Nibizi's outspoken criticism of governmental practices resulted in her arrest on multiple occasions, and in 2015, she was exiled for opposing political actions perceived as threats to democracy. Despite these challenges, she continued her advocacy from Uganda, where she has coordinated the Burundian Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to her cause and hope for democratic change in Burundi. Nibizi is not only known for her dedication to education and workers' rights, but also for her resilience in the face of political adversity.
Eulalie Nibizi
Educator, activist
- Born: 1960
- Birthplace: Mpemba-Kiryama, Bururi Province, Burundi
Significance: Eulalie Nibizi is an educator, labor union leader, and human rights activist in the Central African country of Burundi. In 2015, she was exiled from Burundi but continued her work in activism from nearby Uganda.
Background
Eulalie Nibizi was born in June of 1960 in Mpemba-Kiryama, in the Songa commune of the Bururi Province, in the small Central African nation of Burundi. She attended the Normal School of Rusengo, where she studied teaching and humanities. Following graduation, Nibizi acccepted a teaching position at the Maranathan Normal School of Kivoga. Later, she attended the University of Burundi, from which she graduated in 1987 with a degree in French language and literature. Following this, Nibizi took a job as a French teacher and a school administrator.
Her experience and skill in teaching led to her appointment as the educational adviser to Burundi’s Bureau of Secondary Education Programs. She also advised the General Directorate of Pedagogical Offices and the Office of School Assessments. During this time, Nibizi became aware of the challenges and restrictions faced by teachers in Burundi, such as the low pay many teachers received, which Nibizi characterized as “humiliating.” For this reason, she contributed to the foundation of a trade union in 1992, and six years later became its leader.
Work in Activism
From there, Nibizi was elected vice president of the Burundi Confederation of Trade Unions and became a significant educational leader in the Bafashebige region. Her accomplishments created a strong reputation, and her influence began to grow. In 2010, she became president of the Africa Regional Committee of Education International, a major organizing body for education-related labor unions. After leaving that post in 2015, she became a board member of the African Network of the Campaign for Education for All, dealing with the region of Central Africa.
She has used her influence to help expand and improve education in Burundi and many other parts of Africa. She has also lent support to other, related causes, including human rights. As of 2022, Nibizi was the executive director of the Burundian Coalition of Human Rights Defenders. She has spoken on several human rights issues, such as poverty, refugee protection, and women’s rights. In Burundi, women traditionally had few rights, and often suffered greatly during wars and other conflicts. Nibizi has supported causes that help women gain rights and protections. She has reported strong improvements in women’s status in Burundi; for example, by 2000, women made up 30 percent of public institutions.
Her defense of teachers and criticism of authorities gained her many enemies, some in high places, over the years. In 1997, she was arrested for having co-led a teacher strike. She was charged with being a security threat to the government, held, and interrogated. Trade union and human rights officials intervened and secured her release. Similar charges led to her arrest again in 2004; although she was only held one day, she was made to reappear for questioning weekly for several months.
In 2015, Nibizi’s political criticisms led to her being exiled from Burundi. She and many other human rights defenders in the country spoke out against a proposed third term in office of President Pierre Nkurunziza, a move that protestors felt was contrary to the country’s constitution and a threat to its democracy. While at a meeting in Denmark, Nibizi received word that she had been declared an insurgent in Burundi and border police had been instructed to block her re-entry into the country.
In the following years, Nibizi lived in Uganda, where she and other human rights activists pushed out of Burundi continued their work. In 2017, Nibizi became coordinator of the Coalition Burundaise des Défenseurs des Droits de l’Homme (Burundian Coalition of Human Rights Defenders). Due to political unrest in Burundi, and Nibizi’s exile, the organization moved its headquarters to Kampala, Uganda. Despite her troubles in Burundi, Nibizi did not relinquish her faith in the Burundian people or her hopes that democracy could be preserved there.
Impact
Nibizi has spent decades advocating for rights and protections for Burundi’s teachers and other workers. She has also worked to promote women’s rights and overall human rights for all people. Her work has had a strong influence on Burundi—including in angering authorities, leading to her repeated arrests and banishment. Even when not allowed in her home country, Nibizi has continued to work for improvements in the lives of many people throughout Burundi and Africa.
Personal Life
Nibizi was married, but her husband died on what she described as the saddest day of her life. The couple had four children. As of 2022, Nibizi had four grandchildren.
Bibliography
“Defender of the Month: Eulalie Nibizi.” Defend Defenders: East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project, Sept. 2018, defenddefenders.org/defender-of-the-month-eulalie-nibizi/. Accessed 5 July 2023.
“Gendarmes Arrest Teachers’ Union Leaders.” The New Humanitarian, 10 Mar. 2004, www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2004/03/10/gendarmes-arrest-teachers-union-leaders. Accessed 6 July 2023.
Nibizi, Eulalie. “Building for the Future: Women’s Role in Conflict Resolution and Reconstruction.” Wilson Center / Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 13 Sept. 2005, www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/event/EulalieNibiziPresentation.pdf. Accessed 5 July 2023.
SAPA-AFP. “Burundi President Builds Schools, but Education Remains Weak.” Times Live, 10 Nov. 2013, www.timeslive.co.za/news/africa/2013-11-10-burundi-president-builds-schools-but-education-remains-weak/. Accessed 5 July 2023.
Yikeze, Alphonse. “Au Coin du Feu avec Eulalie Nibizi.” (“By the Fireside with Eulalie Nibizi.”) 26 Mar. 2022, IWACU, www.iwacu-burundi.org/au-coin-du-feu-avec-eulalie-nibizi/. Accessed 5 July 2023.