Rwandan singer Mariya Yohana to be honoured in Kigali after four decades in music

Mariya Yohana, the Rwandan singer whose songs encouraged fighters during the liberation struggle, will be honoured at a tribute in Kigali on 28 November 2026.

The event, at Glimpse Hotel, is organised by the music production company Country Records, The New Times reported on 14 October. It recognises more than four decades of her work in Rwandan music. Between 300 and 350 guests are expected, and a discussion session will let young musicians question her about her career.

Country Records founder Nduwimana Jean Paul, known as "Noopja", called her "a legend and a role model to many", as quoted by the paper.

She was born Marie Jeanne Mukankuranga in 1943.

Yohana said she wrote "Intsinzi" in 1992 after seeing the determination of soldiers fighting to liberate the country, as quoted by the paper. After the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, her songs turned to hope and reconciliation. A Kinyarwanda report by the news site Umunota on 14 October names a second song, "Inkotanyi z'Amarere". In a report on 9 June 2025, The New Times described the Inkotanyi as the former rebels who led Rwanda's liberation.

In 2007 President Paul Kagame awarded her a Liberation Struggle Medal.

Before Liberation Day on 4 July 2025, she planned to launch her second studio album, "Inkera y'Abahizi, Komeza Ibirindiro", at a concert set for 3 July, The New Times reported on 9 June 2025. Her previous studio album, "Intsinzi Intego ni Imwe", came out in 2014.

The new album had six tracks at the time, mixing new compositions with some of her best-known songs, and was produced by Real Beat. The paper said it honours Kagame's leadership after the genocide and the bravery of the Inkotanyi fighters.

Yohana, then 82, spoke in that report about life in exile in the early 1990s. "We didn't go to the battlefield, but we were there in spirit," she said, as quoted by the paper.

The New Times named Bruce Melodie, Butera Knowless, Tom Close, the poet Junior Rumaga and the gospel singer Tonzi as joining her at the launch concert.

Inyarwanda, a Rwandan entertainment site, reported on 4 July 2025 that the concert took place alongside the 31st Liberation Day celebrations. Tonzi sang "Uhimbazwe" and "Humura", and Yohana was joined by former colleagues from her group Indahemuka for traditional songs. Bruce Melodie, Tom Close and Butera Knowless, who had been expected, were absent, the site said.

Inyarwanda quoted her telling the audience: "This concert is my way of expressing thanks to His Excellency President Paul Kagame." She also told them: "You are all Inkotanyi."

In January 2026 she headlined the Ubutwari Tour, a nationwide concert series for Heroes Month, with fellow veterans Jean M. Vianney Muyango and Sophia Nzayisenga, The New Times reported on 14 January. Stops included Nyanza on 17 January, Nyagatare on 23 January, Musanze on 24 January and Rubavu on 30 January. Its theme was "Heroism and Unity of Rwandans, pillars of development".

Yohana said the tour was meant as a tribute to the Inkotanyi and President Kagame. "This is about loving our country," she said. Mugisha Emmanuel, director of Karisimbi Events, said the shows would go beyond music, with talks and cultural activities on Rwanda's past, the part heroes played in the liberation and the role of unity in building the nation.

Fellow singers have also spoken about her. The New Times carried comments on her influence from Muyango, Cécile Kayirebwa, Ibrahim Cyusa and Ange Ndayishimiye. Umunota reported that Kayirebwa and Muyango recognised her contribution, especially to preserving traditional music.

Kayirebwa plans to attend the tribute and sing in Yohana's honour. The event is on 28 November 2026 at Glimpse Hotel, Kigali.