Ugandan fans paint Kigali red as Gazelles shine

The BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, is dominated by Ugandan colours as teams compete in the FIBA Women’s Afrobasket 2023.

Hundreds of fans crossed the border to support the Uganda Gazelles, and their voices have been heard at the tournament.

A sizeable number of fans has occupied the courtside seats throughout the tournament, while many others fill up the regular seats every time Uganda plays.

The crowd was at its absolute loudest Tuesday night when Uganda took on neighbours DR Congo in the quarter-final qualifier.

Uganda’s 78-62 victory was greeted with songs from artists back home.

From singing the national anthem, the fans have also engaged in dancing and marching through the arena as a way of supporting the Gazelles.

Alien Skin's current hits have dominated the DJ's selection every time Uganda is playing and the fans continue to do them justice by turning their sitting space into a dance floor of sorts. 

Amongst the several fans in Kigali is Melissa Akullu’s mother, who came along to cheer on her daughter and the rest of the team.

A picture of the two dancing on court after Tuesday’s win has since gone viral on different social media channels.

Uganda now have eyes on making the semi-finals for the very first time.

Having defeated DR Congo in the quarter-final playoff, Uganda will hope to get one more win when they face hosts Rwanda on Wednesday.

With the hosts expected to have a big crowd behind them, Uganda fans will have to be on top of their game to out-shout the home crowd.