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The festival, organized to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Giants of Africa and run in conjunction with NBA franchise Toronto Raptors, will bring together over 250 youth participants from the participating nations.
Uganda will join 15 other countries in the inaugural Giants of Africa Youth Basketball Festival, scheduled to take place from August 13 to 19 in Kigali, Rwanda.
The festival, organized to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Giants of Africa and run in conjunction with NBA franchise Toronto Raptors, will bring together over 250 youth participants from the participating nations.
Uganda will be represented by a team of 16 talented young basketball players.
Giants of Africa, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering African youth through sports, has garnered significant support and recognition over the years.
Co-founder Masai Ujiri, who also serves as the Vice-Chairman and President of the Toronto Raptors, expressed his enthusiasm about the upcoming festival and the impact it aims to create.
In his statement, Ujiri emphasized the organization's commitment to inspiring and encouraging the youth while acknowledging the collective effort needed to foster positive change.
The festival promises to be a vibrant celebration of basketball, education, culture, and entertainment, with the objective of uniting and honouring the next generation of leaders across Africa.
In addition to the basketball competitions, the event will feature various activities and performances by renowned artists during the opening ceremony celebration and closing concert.
Artists such as Davido, Tiwa Savage, and Diamond Platnumz have been confirmed to grace the festival with their exceptional talent.
“We are honoured to have artists including Davido, Tiwa Savage, Diamond Platnumz and more join us for the opening ceremony celebration and closing concert,” said Masai Ujiri.
“We believe their performances will further ignite the spirit of the Festival and uplift the aspirations of the local youth in attendance.”
Their performances are expected to ignite the spirit of the event and uplift the aspirations of the young attendees.
The opening ceremony celebration will kick off the week-long festival, accompanied by an electrifying concert by Diamond Platnumz.
The closing concert, presented by Spotify, will showcase an incredible lineup of internationally acclaimed artists, including Davido, Tiwa Savage, Bruce Melodie from Rwanda, and Tyla, an emerging star selected as part of Spotify's RADAR program.
"Not only will we celebrate 20 years of empowering youth, but we will also honour the incredible communities that have welcomed us,” Ujiri stated.
“Through this Festival, we aim to inspire and encourage youth, while acknowledging their immense potential and the collective effort to create positive change," he added.
Notably, the festival will also host an International Youth Day Forum on August 12, sponsored by Dani Reiss and in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Imbuto Foundation.
The forum aims to bring together 2000 Rwandan youth and the festival participants to hear from esteemed guest speakers, including Lt. Gen (Ret'd) Romeo Dallaire and Ishmael Beah, who will share their insights and experiences on children's rights and the pursuit of peace and security.
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