For those who followed the Miss Rwanda 2022 pageant, the name Jeannette Uwimana echoes loudly, mostly because she did something that’s not happened before—participating in a national beauty pageant with a hearing and speech disability.

The moment it was announced that Uwimana, 26, had made it through the auditions in Southern Province, many celebrated and the story of hope and self-belief echoed across the country.

Despite all the attention she was getting, Uwimana kept a graceful smile, almost unbothered, pulling through the pre-selection phase on February 26 with ease, before heading to the boot camp in Nyamata with 19 other finalists, along with her sign language interpreter.

Ahead of the departure to the three-week boot camp at La Palisse Nyamata Hotel, Meghan Nimwiza, the spokesperson of Miss Rwanda, said that the organisers would go out of their way to provide all the necessary facilitation needed for Uwimana to contest comfortably.

"Miss Rwanda is an inclusive competition. No one can be side-lined because of how they were born or because of a disability of any form. This means a lot to us and as Miss Rwanda we will facilitate Uwimana and her interpreter to ensure that she can participate in the most conducive of environments,” Nimwiza said.

It was indeed a first not just for the organisers but also the country in general as Uwimana became the contestant that radiated hope, self-confidence and inspired many to believe in themselves.

It partly explained why among the judges, there was a sign language interpreter, Fidele Irizabimbuto, a veteran sign language interpreter on Rwanda Television (RTV).

On social media, Uwimana’s grace and composure captivated many, winning her a legion of fans, many of whom rooted and voted for her throughout the contest.

She inspired a movement to a level that one tweep who attempted to body shame her got what was coming to him by many, including the Minister of Local Government, Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi, who criticised and called him out.

Uwimana did not just inspire many, her smile brought a feel-good factor to the competition. In fact, this year, Miss Rwanda got very minimal criticism, thanks to the inclusiveness and reforms the pageant exhibited.

Inspiration

While auditioning for Miss Rwanda was a big win in itself, Uwimana had a real shot at the crown and it is fair to say that despite not getting the crown, she was among the major winners of the night.

Uwimana claimed the ‘Miss Innovation’ title, one of the most coveted titles in the pageant, which will see her get financial and technical support from Bank of Kigali, through the BK Urumuri initiative with Inkomoko, to implement her project.

Staying true to her roots, the girl from Nyanza District wants to focus on an agricultural project of rearing pigs in a modern way, a project she hopes will become profitable and help her build a hotel in her home district and befittingly name it after herself.

While at it, Uwimana has not forgotten the plight of others like her, people with disabilities, who face many challenges of adaptability in society, and her mission will be to use her well-earned platform to advocate for their rights.

"I hope I will inspire many people like me to believe in themselves and go after their dreams,” Uwimana said through an interpreter on the night she took the "Miss Innovation” sash from Hense Teta Musana, Miss Innovative Project 2021.

Defying odds

Uwimana’s story of defying odds cannot be told better by anyone other than her parents. Standing side by side, Uwimana’s parents looked satisfied on the night their daughter took one of the most sought-after titles in Miss Rwanda. They didn’t seem surprised at all.

Her mother, Colette Mukabutera, said that from childhood, Uwimana had proved that she can defy odds and overcome the challenges presented by her disability.

"Even as a child she was always confident. She never saw her disability as a challenge and we didn’t either. Of course, at some point she would encounter difficulties and the fact that there are some things she can’t do but it wouldn’t stop her,” Mukabutera said.

"She has never lost hope or given up on life. This is what helped her to go through school and study, thanks to her determination to learn sign language and also not allow herself to be held back by her condition,” the proud mother added.

Mukabutera said that Uwimana is a good example that disability is not inability because this is not something that happened overnight. From childhood, she had set her eyes on being Miss Rwanda and even though she did not go home with a crown, what she achieved is so much more.

Jeannette Uwimana’s smile won over many.

Throughout the contest, Uwimana exuded grace and confidence.