Rwanda’s R&B music sensation The Ben delivered an energetic performance during the half time show of Basketball Africa League (BAL) final clash between Angola’s Petro De Luanda and Libya’s champions Ahly Libya at BK Arena on Saturday. The Ben, real name Benjamin Mugisha, was the last artiste to perform at the just-concluded weeklong BAL playoffs and his first public performance in Rwanda in 2024. Other artistes who headlined BAL Playoffs halftime show include Nigerian musician Adekunle Gold, Bwiza, Ish Kevin, Kivumbi King and Kevin Kade among others. Clad in all white outfit, The Ben stepped on the stage at around 4:50PM and lifted up the mood in the arena with his classic song “Ngufite Ku Mutima.” His performance hyped the arena with more top hits like ‘Habibi’ and ‘Why,’ a collaboration with Diamond Platnumz before ending his performance with “Ni Forever”, his latest love hit song that he dedicated to his wife Pamela Uwicyeza just days before their wedding in December 2023. The singer had a lot to thank ‘Ishami Talent,’ a band that danced for him during his 10-minute electric show. “It’s been two or three years since I performed at BK Arena. It’s been a while, so I missed it to be honest,” the artist told The New Times. President Paul Kagame and First Lady were among thousands who attended the BAL final which went in favor of Petro de Luanda. The Angolan powerhouse won the championship after beating Libya’s Al Ahly Ly 107-94. And, asked what it meant performing at BAL, The Ben said that it was a big privilege to perform before fans who were at BK Arena but he felt more honoured to perform again in front of the head of state. “It means a lot. Fortunately, I love to perform at big stages, but when I perform before my president, trust me, I can’t get better than that,” he said. In attendance at his performance was also Tanzanian deejay RJ The DJ who is taking his decks at one of Kigali’s top night club. The two last shared a stage when The Ben performed in Bujumbura in October 2023. The Ben remains one of the best musicians to come out of Rwanda with hits like ‘Why’ featuring Diamond Platnumz, ‘Habibi’, ‘Vazi’, and ‘Fine Girl’ produced by Krizbeatz, among others.
