Miss Jojo, born Josiane Uwineza, also known as Iman Uwineza, is a

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

n R&B singer. Her music blends R&B and traditional Rwandan musical elements.

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 the location of two memorial sites of the Rwandan genocide at Ntarama and Nyamata. Geography Bugesera comprises areas south of Kigali, ...

of Rwanda in 1983, Uwineza enjoyed singing and dancing as a child and her parents encouraged her to develop her talent.

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; rw, Kaminuza nkuru y’u Rwanda, french: Université nationale du Rwanda, UNR) was the largest university in Rwanda. It was located at in the city of Butare and was established in 1963 by the government ...

, 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.

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

*2012: Best Female artist (salax) *2011: Best Female artist (salax) *2010: Best Female artist (salax) *2010: Best female artist (ijoro ry'urukundo) *2010: Song of the year Siwezi Enda (ijoro ry'urukundo) *2009: Pam award (Pearl of Africa Music Award) Best Rwandan female artist *2009: Best female artist (salax) *2008: Pam award (Pearl of Africa Music Award) Best Rwandan female artist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jojo, Miss 1983 births Living people Rwandan women singers Rwandan Muslims Converts to Islam People from Bugesera District