Rwandan singer and songwriter Josiane Uwineza, better known as Miss Jojo, has opened up about the career break that brought one of Rwanda’s most successful music journeys to an end, saying the decision was deliberate, deeply personal and one she has never regretted.

The singer became a household name in the Rwandan music industry since breaking into music in 2007. She is best know for her iconic tracks like ‘Tukabyine’, ‘Siwezi’, ‘Mbwira’, ‘Nganirira’, ‘Beletilida’, to mention a few.

She took a break in 2012 after releasing her album “Woman” which she launched at Gikondo Expo grounds.

To her, it was a goodbye to a career she had loved to pursue.

Speaking in an interview with Igihe, the celebrated artiste revealed that she had planned her departure long before she stepped away from the spotlight.

She recalled that her final concert at Expo Grounds was always intended to be her last.

“I made the decision to quit music knowing exactly what I was doing. I felt I had accomplished what I set out to do with music. Even my last concert, which I held at Expo Grounds, I knew it was going to be my last, and I put everything into it, telling myself I needed to leave my signature there,” she said.

For Miss Jojo, leaving music was not about walking away from success but about closing a chapter she believed had fulfilled its purpose.

“Then I left music, telling myself that I felt I had done what I needed to do, and it was time to move into the next steps of my life,” she said.

That next chapter led her away from the stage and into humanitarian work and professional employment.

Holding a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the former National University of Rwanda, Miss Jojo said she wanted to build a career beyond entertainment while using her education in a more conventional work environment.

“So I moved into other things — I started an NGO to help young people develop themselves. And as someone who had studied, I also wanted a regular job,” she said.

“I wanted to get used to working in an office setting and build my career as a professional,” she said.

“I worked in that space for close to five years, doing work that didn’t necessarily put me in the public eye, which is exactly what I wanted, because as an artiste, if you don’t have something to ground you, to keep you low-key for a while, social media and fame can distract you.”

She described stepping away from music as both a career decision and an act of faith.

“So you see, stopping music was a decision I made deliberately. I had thought it through, and God helped me follow through with it,” she said.

Looking back, she says what matters most is not the fame she enjoyed but the legacy she left behind.

“What pleases me most even now is that I was able to leave music with a good image among people, with respect.”

A message-driven career

Miss Jojo burst onto the music scene in 2007 after winning the National University of Rwanda Rector’s Excellence Award for Best Female Artiste. A year later, she won the Pearl of Africa Music Award for Best Rwandan Female Artiste, helping raise Rwanda’s profile on the regional music scene.

She released her debut album, Genesis, in 2008 before following it with Woman in 2012, which became her final album before stepping away from music.

She said her mission from the beginning was to create music that inspired girls and women, even as the industry increasingly rewarded more provocative content.

“I started out wanting to give a message to girls and women, to walk a good path. But I realised that if I made songs that were too controversial, it wouldn’t look right, which is why I started with ‘Mbwira’, which was my first song,” she said.

Mbwira became one of the defining songs of her breakthrough, followed by hits such as Inshuti, which cemented her status as one of Rwanda’s leading female artistes in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

She is also known for popular songs including Tukabyine, Siwezi, Nganirira and Beletilida.

Addressing the rumours

Miss Jojo also dismissed long-standing claims that marriage or religion forced her to leave music.

“I stopped making music in 2012, and I got married in 2017. I also didn’t convert to Islam because of my husband, and being Muslim isn’t what made me leave music either, because I converted to Islam in 2009 and continued singing as a Muslim,” she said.

She also spoke about criticism she received over her modest style of dress, saying it reinforced her decision to step away once she felt her message had reached its audience.

“I would meet many fans who asked me why I dressed the way I did. I wore long clothes that didn’t expose my body, and it would upset me because I didn’t feel they had any say over how I dressed,” she said.

From the stage to Igikari

More than a decade later, Miss Jojo, now 40 and a mother, says she has no desire to return to the music industry. Instead, she has channelled her passion into Igikari Holiday Camp, a non-profit initiative designed to provide teenage girls and young women with a safe space to discuss the challenges they face.

The programme focuses on issues such as family conflict, gender inequality, mental health and sexual health, offering mentorship, peer support and guidance rather than formal training.

“What we intend to offer is a safe space to discuss those challenges. It is not about training but rather listening to them. This will give them hope, guidance and a sense of purpose,” she said.

She said the years away from public life allowed her to develop the initiative while prioritising her family.

“After taking a break from music, I just gave enough time to my own things — behind the curtains — including my family. During this time, I decided to come up with a support system, specifically for the youth, to create a safe space and brighter future for them,” she said.

According to Miss Jojo, today’s young people are surrounded by information but often lack the mentorship needed to process it.

“They lack enough mentorship on how to digest that information about what is right or wrong to do,” she said, citing divorce, economic hardship and the absence of parental care as some of the challenges affecting young people.

She also encouraged fellow artistes to build careers and initiatives beyond music, arguing that lasting impact comes from using one’s platform to serve others rather than simply remaining in the spotlight.

The post “Quitting music was a deliberate decision” – Miss Jojo appeared first on Mount Kigali University E-Magazine.

American guard Craig Randall has rejoined APR Basketball Club ahead of the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) playoffs scheduled to tip commence on August 5.

The 30-year-old was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) after leading RSSB Tigers to their maiden BAL championship on their debut appearance in the competition.

Randall is expected to arrive in Rwanda on July 29.

In February, Randall signed with APR as the club planned to rely on his services during the 2026 BAL campaign. However, he eventually represented RSSB Tigers in the competition after APR withdrew from the tournament.

In April, Randall set an all-time BAL record for the most points scored in a single game, dropping 54 points on 18-of-36 shooting to inspire RSSB Tigers to a 104-92 victory over Tanzania’s Dar City in the Kalahari Conference in Pretoria, South Africa.

The post BAL 2026 MVP Randall rejoins APR appeared first on Mount Kigali University E-Magazine.

From September, learners will spend the final 90 minutes of each school day doing sports, arts, debates, leadership activities, practical experiments and other structured activities designed to complement what they learn in class.

Under the new arrangement, regular academic lessons will end at 3:30 p.m., with the period from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. dedicated to co-curricular activities.

The school day will remain unchanged, running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the reform will not affect the curriculum or number of school days.

Flora Mutezigaju, Deputy Director General at the Rwanda Education Board (REB), said the move is intended to make learning more practical and ensure learners can apply knowledge acquired in the classroom.

“Co-curricular activities are not new to our education system. They have always been part of the school curriculum,” Mutezigaju told The New Times.

“What is changing is how they are organised and implemented.”

Currently, lower primary has one period for co-curricular activities, while upper primary has four. Lower and upper secondary each have two periods.

Mutezigaju said, however, that the activities have often been conducted without a clear structure or connection to classroom learning, making them closer to extracurricular activities.

“Extra-curricular is optional and does not have to complement the curriculum. Co-curricular activities have a direct link to the formal curriculum,” she said.

For example, if Primary Three learners are studying health, cleaning the school environment can become a co-curricular activity. Teachers will not simply ask learners to clean but will use the exercise to reinforce lessons on hygiene and health.

From theory to practice

The changes are part of efforts to strengthen the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum, which places emphasis on practical skills and the application of knowledge.

Mutezigaju said subjects such as Physical Education and Sport and Creative Arts will continue to be taught, but learners will have more opportunities to put lessons into practice.

A learner studying colours in art, for instance, could mix different colours and create artwork rather than spending the entire lesson learning the theory.

“We want the delivery of the curriculum to be more practical and engaging, but with that direct link to the formal curriculum,” she said.

The Rwanda Education Board has also reviewed the primary and secondary school curricula and conducted a survey to gather teachers’ views on workload.

Mutezigaju said most of the feedback indicated that the curriculum was no longer overloaded, although concerns remained in some subjects, particularly mathematics, science and elementary technology.

She said the new approach could help teachers cover some content more effectively because learners will have more opportunities to apply concepts rather than relying mainly on classroom theory.

What learners will do

The activities will vary depending on the level of education.

In primary schools, learners will take part in physical education and sports, creative arts, Itorero and life skills, as well as language and reading activities.

Reading clubs, debates and writing competitions, for example, will complement lessons in Kinyarwanda, English and French while helping learners develop communication skills.

Remedial activities will also be organised for learners who require additional academic support.

At lower secondary level, activities will include physical education and sports, technical and survival skills, Itorero and life skills, as well as language and leadership activities.

Technical and survival skills will complement elective subjects such as farming, home science, music, dance and drama, and fine arts and crafts.

At upper secondary level, the programme will include physical education and sports, pre-technical and survival skills, Itorero and life skills, language and leadership, as well as STEM and innovation.

Learners taking science and mathematics, for instance, will have opportunities to conduct practical experiments and work on innovation projects. Digital skills will also receive greater attention.

Schools to design programmes

While REB will provide guidelines and sample timetables, individual schools will determine how the activities are organised.

At the beginning of each term, schools will be expected to identify competencies in the curriculum and link them to appropriate co-curricular activities.

These may include competitions, indoor and outdoor activities, guest speakers, clubs and practical projects.

Each activity will have a designated teacher. The teacher does not necessarily have to be the learner’s regular classroom teacher, with schools encouraged to assign teachers according to their interests, knowledge and skills.

Schools will also track the programme using indicators such as sports competitions held, reading clubs, debates, public-speaking events, guest speakers and innovation projects completed.

Mutezigaju said schools should not wait for perfect facilities before implementing the programme.

“Start with what is available, not with what we wish we had,” she said.

Where additional resources are required, she said partners would be mobilised to support schools.

Learning beyond the classroom

The shift is part of a broader global emphasis on holistic education, where schools seek to develop not only academic knowledge but also creativity, teamwork, leadership, communication and practical skills.

Countries such as Finland, Singapore and Japan have long incorporated sports, arts, clubs and practical activities into school life. Schools in the United Kingdom, United States and South Africa also commonly offer programmes covering sports, music, debate, leadership, community service and cultural activities.

Rwanda already has sports, debate clubs, scouting, arts and other activities in schools. The new framework seeks to give such activities a clearer structure and stronger connection to classroom learning.

For Mutezigaju, the ultimate goal is to ensure that learners have opportunities to discover and develop their different abilities.

“Every child is unique and every child has a potential,” she said.

While some learners may excel academically, others may show stronger abilities in sport, arts, communication, leadership or other areas.

The new approach, she said, is intended to give all learners more opportunities to discover where their strengths lie—and turn classroom knowledge into practical skills.

The post Why schools are giving co-curriculars more time appeared first on Mount Kigali University E-Magazine.

Dry weather is expected to continue throughout August, with rainfall forecast to remain below the long-term average, according to Meteo Rwanda.

The weather agency projects that the country will receive between 5 and 100 millimetres of rainfall during the month.

Rugezi Marshland, a Ramsar-protected wetland, is a critical ecosystem and the main source of water for the twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo.

The post REMA warns of wildfires in Rugezi Marshland as dry spell persists appeared first on Mount Kigali University E-Magazine.