Maria Yohana belongs to the distinguished group of the best traditional Rwandan singers. As an artist she contributed to the liberation of Rwanda and got famous with her song Intsinzi bana b'u Rwanda (success for Rwanda).

Maria Yohana's voice is considered to be one of the purest in the country. She often sings a cappella which means without being accompanied by musical instruments. Born in Kibungo/Ngoma as MUKANKURANGA Marie Jeanne, she became a teacher in Rwamagana, Kibungo and Rwamuruga (Uganda) as well as Camp Kigali.
Until 2012 she had taught in the One Stop Youth Center in Kimisagara for fifteen years. In December this year Maria will celebrate her 70th birthday. In this workshop she will transfer her life long experience in singing and composing to a class of young artists eager to learn more about the secrets of Rwandan traditional music. Language of the workshop will be Kinyarwanda