Everyday Heroes: Beatrice Nyamoya (Burundi)

She received her law degree from the University of Burundi in 1982 and was named Chief of Staff for the National Assembly the following year. She left that post three years later to continue her studies in administration in Canada.

Upon her return to Burundi, Nyamoya held several successive posts: Legal Counsel and Chief of Staff at the National Assembly of Burundi, Fonctionnaire in the Ministry of External Relations and Cooperation, Diplomat at the Embassy of Burundi in Bonn, Germany, Cadre at the University of Ngozi, President of the Association of Women Lawyers, and now State Inspector General.

She is the mother of two children. She has been supported in her work and efforts by her family, in particular her brother, who is himself a brilliant lawyer before the bar of Bujumbura and a well-known activist.

Nyamoya is currently president of the Women’s Association for Peace in Burundi, which is working on a policy project to promote gender equality in Burundi. The mission of the 18-month project, which was launched in November 2010 with partnership and funding from OXFAM-Spain, is to monitor violence against women and to help expand opportunities for women in decision-making bodies.

Her Viewpoint

Women’s participation in politics in Burundi has made very timid advances since 1993. We still have a long way to go. The woman is always in a position of being dependent, with all the problems that situation engenders. She does not have access to decision-making bodies. For example, there was not one woman’s name on the recent list of nominations for ambassador. Nyamoya was indignant about this oversight and did not hesitate to denounce the matter in the media.

Whether she is talking about polygamy, women’s land and inheritance rights, or human rights in Burundi, Nyamoya looks as problems through multiple dimensions: social, economic and above all, political. Although polygamy is proscribed by law, a marked resurgence of concubinage is wreaking havoc on families.

It is important to demonstrate the place that women in Burundi occupy today and to denounce the absence of political will to see this situation change. Inheritance law is the last text that is covered by traditional law, and Nyamoya continues to advocate for the rights of women’s inheritance to be respected. For her this right is non-negotiable. The government should establish this law so that women will be afforded a certain amount of autonomy. The issue of inheritance rights is the cornerstone of the combat being led by civil society organizations in Burundi. These organizations would do well to look to the international community for assistance particularly in terms of lobbying.

As for young women in Burundi, Nyamoya believes that society today does not hinder young girls from going to school but barriers arise when it comes to integrating them into decision-making spheres. However, she feels that the younger generation has lost certain traditional values, something she believes has been exacerbated by the country’s experiences with the war of 1993. She advises young women to fight idleness and to seek to educate and train themselves. They should also remember that it is important to integrate the positive aspects of their own culture along with their education.

Despite the lack of the traditional structures of rigorous training and capacity building, Nyamoya continues to work for the promotion of young women in order to leave them a solid basic education as a legacy. She believes emphatically that a good education offers the possibility for multiple opportunities. She is already thinking of retirement and how she would like to work in the area of women’s entrepreneurship, in particular working with rural organizations. For her, “the fight for women’s empowerment continues.”