The Giants of Africa Festival Inspires African Youth to ‘Dream Big’ Through Basketball, Culture, and Music

As one of the fastest-growing music markets in the world, Africa is home to dynamic genres like Afrobeats and amapiano that have taken pop music by storm. And while artists like Burna Boy, Rema, CKay, Wizkid, Tems, and Davido have risen as icons on their home continent, they’ve also succeeded on the global stage. 

The future is bright for African music and its stars, but there’s also a new generation of talent outside of music who are ready to show the world what they can do. That’s why we’re teaming up with the Giants of Africa Festival in Kigali, Rwanda, to showcase a shared vision for the continent’s future through music and basketball.   

To tip off the event, which runs August 13-19 and will see over 250 youth from 16 African countries in attendance, we worked with Giants of Africa (GOA) to create a special video, Music In Motion. Featuring players from the Nigeria Youth National Team who took time to share the ways music and basketball are linked in their lives. 

Co-founded by NBA executive Masai Ujiri, GOA uses basketball as an avenue to inspire African youth to dream big while also emphasizing education, empowerment, and leadership. Since 2003, GOA has positively impacted over 40,000 African youth across 17 countries by providing access to basketball courts and skills camps.

Along with the Music In Motion video, Spotify will also be presenting the festival’s closing concert. The headliner will be the magnetic Davido, and he’ll be joined by Tiwa Savage, the Nigerian singer-songwriter and actress known as the Queen of Afrobeats; Rwanda’s own Bruce Melodie, a gifted singer-songwriter known for his soulful melodies; and Tyla, a rising star recently selected as a featured artist for our RADAR program. Their performances promise to create an electrifying atmosphere and leave a lasting impression on festival attendees.

Together with GOA, we’re committed to supporting a new generation of talent by uniting the best of African youth, basketball, music, and culture.

Be sure to hit play on our Giants of Africa playlist, which features Afro hits from the 16 countries represented at the continent’s premier basketball festival.