Rwandan artist Nirere Shanel was among the spotlight speakers reflecting on their journey at the "Forbes Leading Women Summit 2024" Africa held at the Emperor's Palace Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa on Friday, March 8.

The ninth Forbes summit coincided with an award ceremony where NBA Africa's Clare Akamanzi was awarded ‘The Africa Investment Catalyst Award’ by Forbes for her contribution to investment on the African continent

The singer talked about how she often thinks about how tough her father was on her when she was a teenager, highlighting on their relationship after making her sleep outside several times at the age of 12 years.

ALSO READ: Clare Akamanzi wins Forbes Africa investment award

"He would be talking to me and if I stayed silent listening to what he had to say he would call me dumb, and if I tried to respond he would shout and slap me accusing me of disrespecting him saying that it’s not how I should talk to him.

In this conversation, she goes on to say how difficult it was to communicate with him and still is working on her relationship with him. She recalled that it was terrifying to see how her father was mad at her while she had no correct way of defending herself.

While her father was brilliant in school, he was denied the right to education during grade six because he was a Tutsi. "My father really had it rough in his education journey and carried a lot of frustration maybe that is why he was tough on me,” she said.

While talking about her work she emphasized that in collaboration with a tea house in Paris, they created a tea blend ‘Iraba’ named after her song whose profit goes to the Our Past Initiative.

On her Instagram page the singer and actor spoke highly of the women she connected with and expressed her excitement for being part of this year’s spotlight speakers.

"I felt incredibly honored to be chosen as one of the spotlight speakers and to share my story at this year's Forbes Africa Woman Lead Summit. It was a great experience to be in the presence of hundreds of extraordinary women, each radiating power and positivity. The atmosphere was electric, filled with mutual support and encouragement as we lifted each other up in celebration of our greatness.

"This moment will forever hold a special place in my heart, along with the bonds formed with my newfound sisters. I am immensely grateful to Renu Kamethil for her kindness and guidance, and to everyone at Forbes Woman Africa for making this journey so seamless. Here's to women everywhere and their boundless capacity to inspire,” she posted.

The mother of two recently released, 'Uzaze EP', a six-song heartfelt exploration of womanhood, challenging societal norms through the language of music.