NELLA: MODEL & ACTIVIST

Nella is a model and LGBTQ rights activist who came to Europe in 2007, after she and her family left their native Burundi during the country’s civil war. They faced persecution as members of the Tutsi minority. Her father held a position within the government formed a few years after the assassination of President Melchior Ndadaye, which made the family even more vulnerable. In order to emigrate safely, Nella and her family members were separated for a lengthy period with no contact before reuniting and relocating to the Netherlands. Nella struggled to adjust to the disparate environment, but her life changed when she was scouted one night in Amsterdam.