As the curtain falls on the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season in Kigali, crowned by RSSB Tigers' historic championship triumph in their debut appearance, conversations beyond the basketball court are leaving an equally lasting impact on the city's rapidly evolving creative landscape. For Ghanaian entrepreneur Kevin Boakye, co-founder and partner of Africa Creative Agency (ACA), Kigali's rise as a cultural and creative hub is becoming impossible to ignore. Kigali is taking a bigger share of cultural capital in Africa, Boakye told The New Times during Africa House's Open House mentorship programme, held alongside the BAL Finals. Organised by ACA in partnership with Inzira Collective and supported by Agra, the initiative brought together established industry professionals and emerging creatives for mentorship sessions focused on transforming artistic passion into sustainable careers. ALSO READ: Kigali Fashion Week wraps up with renewed push for industry growth Boakye believes Kigali is steadily positioning itself as a major force within Africa's creative economy. The level of investment that has happened since 2019 is breathtaking, he said. For a country of only 12 or 13 million people, Rwanda is incredibly powerful in terms of mindset, resilience and follow-through. His sentiments were echoed by Jade Kelly Wilson, ACA's Partner and Head of Music and Culture, who described Kigali as a city on the cusp of a new era of creative growth. Kigali is ready for the next phase, she said. There's an energy here that is incredibly exciting. While both industry leaders praised the country's creative potential, they stressed that talent alone cannot sustain long-term growth. Rwanda has immense potential, but unlocking that potential remains a challenge, Jade noted. We need infrastructure, systems, amplification and collaboration. She observed that many creatives often work in isolation, limiting opportunities for growth, mentorship and knowledge-sharing. When someone figures it out, they often move on without sharing what they've learned, she said. We need to teach one another, share experiences and pass along the tools that helped us succeed. The Open House programme was designed to tackle precisely that challenge. Unlike traditional panel discussions, participants engaged directly with mentors through small-group sessions, creating space for meaningful dialogue, practical advice and lasting professional connections. We don't want to host panels for the sake of panels, Boakye explained. We want people to discuss what they're working on, receive real feedback, exchange contacts and continue building relationships long after the event. More than 100 creatives from Rwanda and across Africa expressed interest in the programme, with only 25 selected for the intensive mentorship experience. A platform for growth For Zimbabwean-born multidisciplinary artist Delah Dube, who has lived in Kigali since 2021, the experience underscored the importance of intentional community-building. Most of the time, people come and speak while everyone else listens, Dube said. Here, we had the opportunity to ask questions, contribute and engage. It was a genuine exchange of knowledge and ideas, and we felt seen and heard as artists. Dube, who performed alongside Maskirika Performing Arts and Kenyan star Bien during the BAL opening ceremony, believes events such as the BAL demonstrate how sports can create meaningful opportunities for creatives. BAL understands the ecosystem around it, she said. Many creatives are benefiting because it provides a platform to showcase their work. She pointed to content creators, photographers, performers and other creative professionals who leveraged the tournament's global visibility to expand their audiences and build new opportunities. Collaboration as the missing ingredient For Jade, collaboration remains one of the most important yet often overlooked elements of a thriving creative ecosystem. Music needs film, film needs fashion, and fashion needs photography, she said. These disciplines thrive because they support one another. Boakye shares a similar perspective, arguing that creative success depends on far more than artists alone. Talent needs support, he said. It needs managers, producers, engineers, technical teams, front-of-house and back-of-house professionals. Rather than focusing exclusively on discovering the next superstar, he believes African creative industries should prioritise building stronger support structures around existing talent. It's not necessarily about finding the next star, Boakye said. It's about connecting people, growing communities and strengthening the support systems that sustain the entire creative economy. Through Africa House and Open House, ACA hopes to build a network connecting creatives across key African cities, including Kigali, Accra, Lagos, Nairobi, Johannesburg and Cape Town. For Dube, who says she has grown tremendously since moving to Rwanda to study at African Leadership University, the country's creative future looks increasingly bright. One lesson she hopes fellow creatives will embrace is the importance of preparation. BAL found me prepared, she said. You don't start preparing when the opportunity arrives. You prepare yourself in advance so that when major opportunities come, you're ready to maximise them. As Kigali continues to attract global sporting events, festivals and cultural gatherings, industry leaders believe the city has the potential to become much more than a host destination. The talent is here, Jade said. People simply need to be bold, build networks and collaborate. What is Africa House? Africa House is a nomadic members' club that fosters connections between African creatives and the diaspora during culturally significant events around the world. Through exclusive activations, experiences and pop-up events, Africa House creates spaces for artistic collaboration and cultural celebration. Its mission is to build lasting bridges, nurture meaningful relationships and inspire innovation across borders. Africa House is a division of Johannesburg-based Africa Creative Agency (ACA), an entertainment company that works with some of Africa's leading artists, including Tyla and Nasty C in South Africa, and Bien in Kenya, among others.
