Curtains closed on Saturday, August 19, after the Giants of Africa festival brought together more than 250 passionate young people from 16 African countries to take part in sports, entertainment, culture and dialogue in Kigali. The event showcased the rich diversity, culture and resources of Africa, bringing a new perspective to people not familiar with the impact of sports on the continent. During the week-long festival, several new developments were registered in Kigali, particularly in sports infrastructure development. ALSO READ: How Giants of Africa found home in Rwanda According to the Giants of Africa, the sports economy in Africa could benefit from a significant comparative advantage, namely the outstanding entrepreneurial fabric of a continent with the greatest entrepreneurs per capita globally. However, without the necessary attention and suitable policy incentives, sports in Africa can barely contribute a penny towards Africa’s GDP. The New Times Edwin Ashimwe caught up with the Giants of Africa co-founder, Masai Ujiri, in what turned out to be an insightful conversation on moving sports forward, and the next 20 years for the Giants of Africa festival. Ujiri, born in Nigeria, is also the vice chairman and President of the Toronto Raptors basketball team. Excerpts: Thank you Masai for your time. Please tell us briefly how such camps benefit children beyond playing basketball? When I started this programme I thought to myself that not all these children will end up in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and it got me thinking what happens to the rest. That’s when we thought there was more to sports than just playing, we started teaching the business of basketball and the opportunities out of the court. And I am testament to that, I am lucky for being a basketball executive. One can become a sports lawyer or a sports journalist. ALSO READ: Giants of Africa brings diversity and energy to Rwanda We also started building courts, whether it is rebuilding or new courts, so many of those things encourage a lot more than just basketball. It’s not just dribbling the ball, there is so much that sports brings. For this Giants of Africa festival, over 250 children came to Kigali to be part of it. What do you make of this turn up? What I make about it is bringing people and bringing Africa together. I think it's time. The leadership here has done a great job certainly setting Rwanda as an example, but also encouraging a lot of us in sports is very important. Sometimes sports is put aside and for somebody to come in and not only welcome us, but also encourage us is very important. Even when you look at the environment here, it says a lot. When you look back at the 20 years you are celebrating, what comes to your mind? For us, it's not only like a celebration of 20 years, it is what the next 20 years are going to be. I really look at that vision and even this environment is visionary to me when I see an arena, a stadium, this is the economics of sports, right? This is the future of sports. So when you ask me about 20 years, the 20 years that comes to my mind is the next 20 years not the years that are gone. Are there extra activities that have been key for the campers? Yeah, so on the courts there's the training and then there's the competition, which sports is all about. Then there's the life skills. What are we teaching these people and how do they represent themselves? How are they knowing about sports business? How are they thinking about their careers, their future? How are they thinking about basketball? How are they thinking about their representation? How do they represent themselves? We have to really think this through and we have to talk to these kids about the subject. Lots of people here come from different walks of life and that are going to educate these kids on more. There's more to sports and basketball outside of playing. ALSO READ: Kagame, Masai laud Giants of Africa Umuganda Day And then the community work. What are we doing in the community? How do you give back? How do you help the next person? So these courts you'll see here are going to go to communities, they're going to go to a school. And they'll be able to advance the development of those communities. We are also taking part in a couple things that Rwanda is known for, such as Umuganda. These campers participate in a cleanup. We have to be very neat. That's one thing everybody says about this country. It stands out. I always bet with people when they come here, I say to them; tell me the first time you see one litter on the floor and I'll give you a dollar for every litter you see. But the point is it sets an example. Well it's very important that we see sports bring people together. Look at all of this, a lot of people coming together. How many countries are coming together, as one, they're going to interact in a peaceful way. Do you see sports in Africa being a catalyst for development? Yeah, because it is a catalyst. It's going to be a catalyst for our future. For the economics of Africa. Look at this arena. Look at all the events that take place here. Look at this stadium. Look at the ecosystem of what's going to be built. Imagine we have this in 7, 8, 9 countries. It creates huge opportunities. It creates an incredible environment. So I will say that we have to look at ourselves bigger. We have to welcome ourselves more. We have to believe in each other more rather than fighting each other. Because our talent stands here, and I always say that Africa's biggest jewel is our people. We got the talent on the continent in every single aspect. And we have to take that very seriously now. ALSO READ: Diamond Platnumz lauds Kagame at Giants of Africa festival Your name resonates very much with basketball lovers. What is your message to the youth? Dream big. There are a couple things that are free in this world. Nobody charges for dreaming. Dreaming is free. And smiling is free. That's happiness, right? And that's what sports brings. So I encourage these youth to dream big. I know sometimes it sounds like a cliché, I grew up like these kids on the continent. All these kids are going to be bigger than all of us. They're going to be better. They're going to do better. And we have to create that path. We have to instill that belief in them because they're also talented. ALSO READ: Giants of Africa: Six memorable highlights It might be in the game, it might be something outside the game. It might be a niche you find early in life or later in life. But, I truly believe in the youth of Africa because I'm one of them right here. I grew up in the continent and I am very damn proud of it. If you could also take us through some of the major developments in the pipeline for the next 20 years of Giants of Africa. You'll see some of them. We have to develop the ecosystem of sports. How do we create more jobs? How do we make people believe more? How do we make people feel the lifestyle? How do we see the flow of that ecosystem? More to come.
