Passion or Profession: princess, model, politician

Period: 1951–

Born to Burundi's Tutsi royal family, Esther Kamatari was forced to leave the country in 1970 at the age of 19 after the monarchy was overthrown and several members of the royal family were killed, including her father and her uncle King Mwambutsa IV. She fled to France, where she became a prominent fashion model. In 2004, she announced her candidacy for presidential elections as the head of the Abahuza party.