Aline Ndenzako is a passionate activist and a living memory of Burundi’s history. She is the President and founder of the association “Burundi: Shared Memories, Shared Future”, created together with Beate Klarsfeld, a globally respected figure of Shoah remembrance. Their initiative seeks to honour all victims of massacres in Burundi and to break the vicious cycle of ethnic conflict and identity-based hatred that has divided the country for generations.

Bearing the scars of loss, dispossession, and manipulation, Aline Ndenzako is the granddaughter of King Mwambutsa IV and niece to Prince Louis Rwagasore—Burundi’s independence leader assassinated for his quest for justice and unity—as well as to Burundi’s last sovereign, King Ntare V, who also fell victim to political violence.

From this legacy, she draws a conviction: memory must not be a burden, but a force for hope and unity. Her voice calls for breaking cycles of violence to rebuild lasting peace in Burundi.

“Peace grows from an aware youth, not a youth with weapons.”