Different celebrities from all areas of the world are in Kigali for the BAL championship finale slated for tomorrow at the BK Arena. The final game will bring together Senegal’s AS Douanes and Egyptian champions AL Ahly to see who takes the trophy home. Musicians, actors, dancers , athletes and other celebrities from around the world were spotted during the third place game between Petro De Luanda and Stade Malien. Wondering who’s in town for the BAL finals? The New Times got you.... Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, filmmaker, and activist. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He is the CEO of the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI), a non-profit organisation that aims at promoting the values of peace, reconciliation and social development within communities that have been impacted by conflict and violence. Forest is in Kigali for the first time. Navio Ugandan rapper Daniel Lubwama Kigozi popularly known as Navio, was also spotted in Kigali ahead of the BAL finals slated for tomorrow. Navio is an Ugandan rapper and record producer who started his career with the award-winning hip hop group Klear Kut that introduced the term Ugaflow to describe Uganda's hip hop scene. Navio is best known for his successful solo career with hits such as Ngalo, Bugumu, One & Only, and On and On with American R&B singer Keith Sweet. Sherrie Silver Rwandan-British choreographer Sherrie Silver is in Rwanda, and is expected to perform in the anticipated final game of BAL slated for May 27. Silver was last in Rwanda during CHOGM, where she was engaged in charity events and performed at different events relegated to CHOGM. She also started an initiative called ‘Feed the Hungry Initiative’ which aims at providing balanced diet to under privileged Africans, and also got time to visit the mountain gorillas and other touristic sites across Rwanda. Joakim Noah Joakim Noah is a 13-year NBA veteran, two-time NBA All-Star, 2014 1st team all-NBA center and Defensive Player of the Year, and the 2015 winner of the J. Walker Kennedy award for citizenship. Upon his retirement, he invested in NBA Africa and has since been named a BAL ambassador, highlighting his vision and commitment to helping grow the sport across the continent. He is in Kigali for the third time to watch the BAL final game. Jamad Fiin Jamad Fiin is the first female Somalian Muslim professional basketball player and became popular after a video of her hooping in a hijab went viral. Jamad has since become an internet personality, joined the Somalian national team and founded a basketball camp to inspire young women back home Masai Ujiri Masai Ujiri, a British-born Nigerian-Canadian professional basketball executive and former player who is the president of the Toronto Raptors, is also in Kigali for the BAL finals. Masai is a good friend of Rwanda and always in the country for different basketball events like Giants Africa. Mark A Tatum American sports and business executive who is currently serving as the Deputy Commissioner of the National Basketball Association is also in Kigali for the BAL finals. Tatum also holds the position of the NBA's chief operating officer. For his work in these capacities, Forges ranked him at Number eight on its list of Most Influential Minorities in Sports. He is of Vietnamese and Jamaican descent.
