Miss Jojo, born Josiane Uwineza, also known as Iman Uwineza (born 1983), is a
Rwanda
Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...
n
R&B singer.
Her music blends
R&B and traditional Rwandan musical elements.
[
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History
Early years
Born in a town in the Bugesera District
Bugesera is a district (''akarere'') in Eastern Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Nyamata. The district is named after the old Kingdom of Bugesera.
The district is the location of two memorial sites of the Rwandan genocide at Ntarama and Nyam ...
[ of Rwanda in 1983, Uwineza enjoyed singing and dancing as a child and her parents encouraged her to develop her talent.][
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Musical career
Uwineza launched her singing career after winning the 2007 Rector Excellence Award in the category of "Best Female Artiste" at the National University of Rwanda
The National University of Rwanda (NUR; , , UNR) was the largest university in Rwanda. It was located at in the city of Butare and was established in 1963 by the government in cooperation with the Congregation of the Dominicans from the Provin ...
,[ where she was completing a Bachelor's Degree in English.][ Miss Jojo released her debut album, ''Genesis'', the following year.][
This was followed by the release of her second album, ''Woman'', in 2012. Her latter album promotes the theme of female empowerment, a cause that the singer champions both on and off the stage. She also uses her lyrics to raise youth awareness of the dangers of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS and encourage Rwandans to participate in national development efforts and make wise choices for their future. She is very active in promoting humanitarian causes.][ Uwineza has been on a break from her music career since 2012.
]
Personal life
In 2007 she publicly converted to Islam and changed her name from Josiane to Iman. This change attracted the attention of media reporters who speculated the singer had converted to please her then-boyfriend and producer, an allegation that Uwineza denies.
Awards
*2011: Best Female artist (salax)
*2010: Best Female artist (salax)
*2010: Best female artist (ijoro ry'urukundo)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jojo, Miss
1983 births
Living people
Rwandan women singers
Rwandan Muslims
Converts to Islam
People from Bugesera District