Ruth Nirere, better known as Miss Shanel, 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 singer and actress.

History

Early years

She began singing as a child and released two successful singles, both meant to comfort and commemorate the survivors and victims of the

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...

, while a secondary school student. Her songs are regularly played during the annual Genocide commemoration period, and in 2004 she won the "Never Again" competition to select the best commemoration artist.

Musical career

She had a major hit in 1998 at the age of 13 with the

zouk Zouk is a musical movement pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm and a loud horn section. The fast zouk béton of Martini ...

tune "Ndarota!" off her debut album of the same name released earlier that year. In 2004 she released two a cappella singles to wide success, raising her to national celebrity. Her music during this period reflected a mix of genres, including R&B, soul, zouk and acoustic music. In 2009 she released her debut album, entitled ''Narrow Road''. This album and her subsequent music reflect more traditional Rwandan musical styles. She has collaborated on singles with numerous Rwandan, Kenyan and Ugandan artists. In 2012 she gave a series of performances for Rwandan peacekeepers stationed in

Darfur Darfur ( ; ar, دار فور, Dār Fūr, lit=Realm of the Fur) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju ( ar, دار داجو, Dār Dājū, links=no) while ruled by the Daju, ...

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

. In 2013 she moved to France to complete a two-year course in vocal performance. In 2017 she plays in the movie
The Mercy of the Jungle
' starring

Marc Zinga Marc Zinga (born 21 October 1984) is a Congolese-Belgian actor, singer and filmmaker. Born in Likasi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zinga moved to Belgium with his family at the age of five. He was one of the lead singers of the group ''The ...

and Stephane Bak, produced by

Joël Karekezi Joël Karekezi (born 12 December 1985) is a Rwandan screenwriter, film director and film producer. His short film ''The Pardon'', about reconciliation after the Rwandan genocide against Tutsi in 1994, won the Golden Impala award at the Amakula ...

Awards

Miss Shanel has been nominated three times for a Pearl of Africa Music Award in 2006, 2007 and 2008. In 2009 she won a Salax Award in the category of Best Female Artist.

Acting career

In addition to her musical career, Nirere has launched a successful career as an actress. She starred in the films ''Avenir''; ''Long Coat'', directed by

Edouard Bamporiki Edouard Bamporiki (born October 24, 1983) is a Rwandan politician and artist. Bamporiki served in Rwandan cabinet as States Minister in charge of culture in the Ministry of Youth and Culture until 5th May 2022 Since January 2023, Bamporiki is i ...

; and ''Matière grise'', directed by Kivu Ruhorahoza. She starred in ''Le jour ou Dieu est parti en voyage'' (2009), which recounts stories of the

. Nirere's performance earned her the prize for Best Actress at the

Thessaloniki International Film Festival The Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF), organized by the cultural institution of the same name under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture, is held every November in Thessaloniki.TIFF features international competition secti ...

in Greece and at the

International Film Festival Bratislava The Bratislava International Film Festival (also known as Bratislava IFF) is an international film festival established in 1999 and held annually in Bratislava, Slovakia. Apart from the international competition programme, it also regularly featur ...

in Slovakia. In 2011 she starred in the Rwandan film ''

Grey Matter Grey matter is a major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies, neuropil (dendrites and unmyelinated axons), glial cells (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes), synapses, and capillaries. Grey matter is distingui ...

'' that deals with the aftermath of the genocide in Rwanda.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shanel, Miss Rwandan women singers Rwandan actresses 21st-century Rwandan women 21st-century women singers Living people Year of birth missing (living people)