The BK Arena in Rwanda’s capital city Kigali was the stage for some electrifying performances as global artists enthralled basketball fans and excited locals at the grand opening of the first-ever week-long Giants of Africa festival on August 13.
The event, graced by Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and Masai Ujiri, the co-founder of Giants of Africa and president of Toronto Raptors, saw the two leaders rallying the youth to be fully immersed in sports as this is an untapped frontier.
“Everyone in this arena is a giant. It is time we don’t keep being reminded. We should know it and continue being the giants that we are and should be. We have got to decide and make that choice. Knowing every one of us in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, everyone has the possibility of being a giant and should be,” Kagame told the audience.
Rwanda is currently hosting Giants of Africa with 250 youth from 16 African countries taking part in activities centered around sports, entertainment, culture as well as national dialogue. The event is part of the country’s strategy to grow sports and make Rwanda a sporting hub.
“President Kagame came for an All-Star Game in 2016 to America. He asked me what it would take to build such an arena and get things done. His studious leadership saw that in just about 12 months, we had the BK Arena here in Kigali,” said Ujiri.
For the last two decades since its inception, Giants Of Africa has been able to play a catalytic role in mainstreaming sports as a tool for economic development and cultural diversity.
“Masai, I thank you for creating this great idea of identifying young people and bringing them here. These young people are being reminded that we are as good as anyone anywhere else. Through the sixteen teams representing sixteen countries, we should grow and work with each other to fulfil this dream for our continent,” added Kagame.
As part of the partnership between Giants of Africa and Rwanda, achievements include the construction of several basketball courts in the country, as well as equipping youngsters with skills for the game. The dazzling lights and thrilling performances at the arena also saw the President urging African youth to be united in growing the continent with their abundant talent.
“I am you; you are me. The best way to bring that out is through talented sportsmen. These young men and women will be giants in basketball and in everything else.”
Ujiri, who gave an emotional account of his encounters from Africa, affirmed that Giants of Africa will continue scaling up investments to make basketball a formidable game for Africans.
“I am overwhelmed and many years ago I had the opportunity to come here. That’s where this journey began for me. We believe in Africa. Every day, we dream, we preach and believe in Africa,” he said to rousing applause from a charged crowd at BK Arena.
Rwanda is also betting big on fusing sports and entertainment to diversify revenue lines. This year’s festival was headlined by Tanzanian artist Diamond Platnumz.
The closing ceremony slated for August 19 will be star-studded. Celebrated Rwandan artist Bruce Melodie, Nigerian singer Davido and Tiwa Savage are also expected to perform.