Rwandan artistes Shemi, rapper Bruce The 1st, DJ Ira are leading the lineup of performers confirmed for the inaugural “Shooting Touch’s 2025 ‘Let It Fly’ Basketball Tournament,” an event expected to harmonise sports, culture, and community impact. Organised by Shooting Touch Rwanda in partnership with Our Past the event, which will take place at Zaria Court, Kigali, on Saturday, July 5, seeks to celebrate and further advance the fast-growing basketball ecosystem in Rwanda, while spotlighting the incredible youth athletes behind it. ALSO READ: Talent-based scholarship, a key to getting Rwanda’s sport system right “The idea is to bring young talents together, especially those from rural communities, and give them exposure. We want to link them with teams, coaches and schools which may be willing to give them scholarships as long as they see potential in their talent,” Christian Intwari, one of the event organisers, told The New Times. “So it’s all about giving them a platform at this special place like Zaria Court and let them show their talents. There will be basketball competitions but we also made sure to bring these artistes to the stage to offer entertainment during the event,” he added. Beyond working in the entertainment industry, especially in events planning and coordination, Intwari uses his voice, through Our Past Initiative, with a vision to make an impact in rural communities. Key players like champions of basketball development, business innovation, educational access, gender equity, and youth empowerment, are expected to attend the event which will kick off with the opening ceremony at 1:00 PM, followed by basketball competitions. Among other performances on the agenda are choreography from the Sherrie Silver Foundation dancers while DJ Niny will join Ira on the decks to close out the event with well selected playlist of music. “It will be a day filled with elite competition, entertainment, and community. Let It Fly (USA) will amplify the power that sport holds in driving positive societal impact,” said Chloe Rothman, the Director of International Programming and Strategy, Shooting Touch Rwanda, Rothman explained that the objective is to encourage strong collaboration between the international private sector and youth basketball development in Rwanda in an effort to spark meaningful and sustainable engagement. “We want to expand access to athletic scholarship opportunities for Shooting Touch athletes in rural communities outside Kigali, promoting equity in Rwanda’s growing sports industry as we celebrate and amplify Rwanda's grooming intersection of sport, entertainment, and culture to inspire and attract global audiences,” he said.
