Gioya Tuma-Waku

Gioya Tuma-Waku is a Congolese stage and screen actress who was raised in South Africa before relocating to the US in pursuant of her career. Her love of performance started at a very young age and by age 10 she knew that her passion and future lay in acting. In 2015 she graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles and then was one of the 21 students invited back to perform as part of The Academy Company. She is known for Pink Lemonade (2018), Bloggers (2016) and Shine Bright (2016).

Her performance in the film "Pink Lemonade" has landed her as a winner for Honorable Mention as an Actress in an indie Film for the Los Angeles Film Awards, a nomination as Best Performance of the fest for the Actor Awards and a Best Actress Semi-finalist nomination for the Olympus Film Festival. Gioya's stage credits include playing "Angelique" in "Angelique", "Mary" in "Detroit", "Gert" in "California Suite" and "Lady in Red" in "For Colored Girls" which was directed by Saundra McClain who played "Lady in Red" in the Original Broadway Production.