Fatima Maada Bio ( née Jabbe; born 27 November 1980), known simply as Fatima Bio, is a Sierra Leonean former actress, screenwriter and film producer who is the current

First Lady of Sierra Leone The title First Lady of Sierra Leone is held by the female spouse of the president of Sierra Leone. The first lady is a representative of the people of Sierra Leone at home and abroad. The Office of the First Lady is an extension of State House an ...

, as the wife of President

Julius Maada Bio Julius Maada Wonie Bio (born 12 May 1964) is a Sierra Leonean politician, and the current president of Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. He is a retired brigadier general in the Sierra Leone Army and was the military head of state of Sierra Leo ...

. As an actress, Bio participated in various

Nollywood Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there ...

movie projects, as well as other acting projects in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. She hails from

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

's Kono District, in the southeastern part of the country; however, part of her heritage is Gambian.

Early life and education

Fatima Jabbe was born in

Koidu Koidu Town (or Sefadu) is the capital and largest city of the diamond-rich Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The population of Koidu Town is 124,6based on the 2015 Sierra Leone national census. Koidu Town is the fifth larg ...

Kono District Kono District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Koidu, Koidu Town. Motema is the second most populous city in the district. The other major towns in the district include Yengema, Tombodu, J ...

, to Tigidankay and Umar Jabbie on 27 November 1980. Her mother is Sierra Leonean and her father is Gambian. She was raised in a Muslim family and remains a devout Muslim herself. She grew up in Kono and attended primary school at the Ansarul Islamic School. She later went to St Joseph's "Convent" Secondary School in

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and po ...

. She holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours degree in Performing Art from the Roehampton Institute in London. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism at the University of the Arts,

London College of Communication The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It specialises in media-related subjects including advertising, animation, film, graphic design, photography and sound arts. It has approximately ...

, in 2017.

Career

Prior to her marriage to

Maada Bio Julius Maada Wonie Bio (born 12 May 1964) is a Sierra Leonean politician, and the current president of Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. He is a retired brigadier general in the Sierra Leone Army and was the military head of state of Sierra Leo ...

, Fatima had a successful career in the entertainment industry under her maiden name Fatime Jabbe. She began working in the African film industry when she was in London. She wrote, acted, and produced Nollywood films including ''Battered'', ''Shameful Deceit'', ''Mr. Ibu in Sierra Leone'', ''Expedition Africa'', and ''The Soul''. She starred in the film ''Mirror Boy'' and won a "Best Supporting Actress" at the 2011 ZAFAA Awards. In 2013, she won The Pan-African "Woman of the Year Award" from All African Media. And In 2013, she earned a Best Female Actress at the African Oscars in Washington, DC. The same year, she won the Gathering of African Best (GAB) Awards for promoting a positive view of Africans around the world.

Charity

Bio is a patron of a number of charities in the UK, including the John Utaka Foundation, which helps African children and young people cope with health challenges.

Marriage and family

Before Fatima married Bio in 2013, she had previously been married to a footballer with whom she had two children (Mohamed and Tida). She and Bio were married in a private ceremony in London on 25 October 2013. On 27 June 2014, she gave birth to a son, Hamza Maada Bio who died three days later. On 7 September 2015, a year after losing their son, she gave birth to their daughter, Amina.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maada Bio, Fatima Living people First Ladies of Sierra Leone People from Koidu Sierra Leonean people of Gambian descent Sierra Leonean Muslims Sierra Leonean Mandingo people 1980 births