Joseph Cimpaye

Joseph Cimpaye (1929 – c.May 1972) was a Burundian politician and writer who served as the first prime minister of Burundi for a brief term in 1961 and is considered to have written the first Burundian novel.

Born into an educated family from the Hutu ethnic group, Cimpaye was considered one of Burundi's leading intellectuals in the late colonial period. He became involved in politics under Belgian colonial rule, co-founding the Union of Popular Parties (Union des parties populaires, UPP), a cartel which was opposed by the more popular anti-colonial Union for National Progress (Union pour le Progrès national, UPRONA). Cimpaye briefly held the position of prime minister in 1961 before UPRONA was decisively returned in the country's first elections ahead of Burundi's independence in July 1962. Although retiring from politics, he was later arrested under the regime of Michel Micombero in 1969.

While imprisoned, he wrote L'Homme de ma colline which has been acclaimed as the first Burundian novel. The work remained unpublished in his lifetime. He was among a number of influential Hutus killed in the genocidal violence of 1972 instigated by the Micombero regime.