Umu Thoronka

Umu Thoronka was born on the 17th of March 1996 in Makeni. She attended the Koidu Secondary School in Koidu Town, the headquarters for Kono District and the St. Joseph Secondary School for girls in Makeni. In 2018, she graduated with a Higher Teachers’ Certificate (HTC) from the Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology (EBKUST) in Makeni. While she was there, she served as the President of Reach for the Starts Foundation (RIFT) for two terms.

She is currently in her final year pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication at the University of Makeni (UniMak) and serves as the Vice President of the Student Representative Council (SRC). Umu is married and resides in Makeni.

Career

Umu Thoronka is an actor, show promoter, master of ceremonies, the CEO for UMUNET Entertainment Outlet, a  TV and radio producer, radio and television correspondent, and an anchor for both the SLBC radio and Television in Makeni.  She is a professional journalist with over 7 years of working experience in both print and electronic media. She started her career as a volunteer until she became a staff. As an actor, she made her debut appearance in 2021 in a short movie titled Independence.

Umu presently works with Sierra Leone’s Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) in Makeni as serves as the Marketing Officer and Head of Entertainment.  She has benefitted from dozens of media-related pieces of training from across the country and holds a lot of certificates.

She is currently the Vice President of the Northern Region Branch of Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL). She also serves as a correspondent/stringer for the SLBC in Freetown, Kono, Kailahun, Kambia, Radio New Song in Kono and Okento Radio in Karene District, and several other media houses across Sierra Leone.

Umu is a member of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, Sierra Leone Health Reporters Union, Northern All Stars (NAS), and several other organizations. In the immediate past, she served as president of the Association of Mass Communicators (AMCU).

Filmography

Desperation

my Suicide Letter,

Beauty is not Enough,

Independence, etc.

AWARDS

1.    50 Most influential Women in Sierra Leone 2022

2.    Best Film Producer- Faces of the North Entertainment Awards 2022.

3.    Best Female Actor -Faces of the North Entertainment Awards (FaNEA) 2022.

4.    In 2021 best National Reporter (Radio) on health Issues (Malaria) – Sierra Leone reporters Network

5.    2020 Best TV Personality of the Year – Faces of the North Entertainment Awards (FaNEA) 2020.