The African dictator with a penchant for sports

Ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games, French president Emmanuel Macron addressed the inaugural Sports for Sustainable Development Summit near the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The summit brought together around 500 attendees, including 50 heads of state and other stakeholders in the world of sports, to accelerate the contribution of sport to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

During his speech, Macron discussed the need to develop large-scale sports infrastructure in Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific Islands, and he lauded Rwanda’s Paul Kagame—one of Africa’s most notorious dictators—as someone who has achieved this development in “an extraordinary way.”

“President Kagame has developed modern infrastructure. He is a man who acts, who obtains results and who speaks little,” Macron said, citing the time he watched a basketball game with the African leader in the Rwandan capital of Kigali in 2022. 

“Under his leadership, Rwanda has undergone a remarkable transformation, marked by infrastructural development, modernisation of the health system, expansion of higher education, and growth in tourism, all contributing to a better quality of life for its people.”

Macron’s comments came days after the incumbent Rwandan autocrat was elected to a fourth term as president with more than 99 per cent of the vote, extending his near quarter-century in office. The election was criticised by media and rights groups for banning serious opposition from participating, intimidating dissidents, and cracking down on critical journalists. 

Kagame, 66, can now stay in power until 2034. 

Macron's glowing praise for Kagame highlights how the Rwandan leader has effectively used sports to legitimise his rule and portray himself as a generous patron of sports and a pioneering figure in Africa. 

This long-term strategy includes sponsoring some of the world's most prominent football teams, forging connections with international organisations, and cultivating relationships with influential figures in global basketball.

The making of a dictator 

On April 6, 1994, a plane carrying two African heads of state - Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira - was shot down in midair, marking a critical turning point in Rwandan history. 

What followed was a swift and chilling call for widespread violence against the Tutsi ethnic group, broadcast across the country within hours. This was the opening act of what would become one of the most horrific genocides of the 20th century—a brutal, calculated massacre that would last for 100 harrowing days.

As extremist Hutu militias mobilised, mass killings erupted. The genocide was not spontaneous; it was the culmination of decades of deep-rooted discrimination and propaganda that had dehumanised the Tutsi minority. According to United Nations estimates, more than 1 million Rwandans perished during this period, the overwhelming majority of them Tutsis. 

Moderate Hutus who opposed the violence also became targets of the bloodshed. In addition to the staggering death toll, approximately 250,000 women were subjected to sexual violence, with rape being systematically used as a weapon of war.

The Rwandan genocide exposed the depths of ethnic hatred and the devastating consequences of political manipulation and international inaction. It also brought about the rise of Kagame.

Born in 1957, Kagame fled Rwanda as a child during the ethnic violence that targeted Tutsi families like his. He became the head of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a rebel group composed mainly of Tutsi exiles and led a military campaign against Rwanda's Hutu-dominated government. 

The RPF's advance into Rwanda during the 1994 genocide is credited with stopping the slaughter of around 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Kagame was hailed internationally as a liberator and the architect of Rwanda's recovery, and he soon became vice president and defence minister in the new government.

A regime marked by increasing authoritarianism

In 2000, Kagame ascended to the presidency, and under his leadership, Rwanda underwent significant transformations. The country became known for its rapid economic development and improvements in fields such as education and healthcare. Rwanda also became one of the most stable countries in the region, with Kagame being credited for his role in transforming Rwanda into a model for other African nations to follow.

However, Kagame’s rule has also been marked by increasing authoritarianism. He has faced accusations of suppressing political opposition, free speech, and human rights. Many opposition leaders and journalists have been imprisoned, harassed, or forced into exile. 

Reports have surfaced linking Kagame’s government to the assassination of political opponents abroad. A 2014 Human Rights Watch report documented at least 10 cases involving attacks or threats against his critics outside Rwanda since the late 1990s, all of which were tied to Kagame or his party. 

Kagame’s notorious reputation as a dictator has become clearer with time. He has amended the constitution to extend his rule beyond the standard two-term limit, which enabled him to win a third term in 2017 with an overwhelming 99 per cent of the vote.

Kagame’s regime also helped fuel two wars in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo as part of a struggle to control the country’s mines with valuable mineral resources, leading to the deaths of more than five million people. The Rwandan leader was even accused of orchestrating a “genocide” by his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshisekedi, to which Kagame responded by threatening to go to war with DR Congo. 

Nevertheless, Kagame's foray into the world of sports, particularly through his association with the NBA and its initiatives in Africa, has offered the dictator a valuable means for soft power diplomacy, placing him firmly among a cadre of authoritarian leaders who exploit sports to whitewash their reputations on the global stage and advance their political agendas.

The NBA’s favourite autocrat

The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) relationship with Rwanda officially began in August 2015, when some of the top coaches from the league hosted a basketball camp in the Rwandan capital of Kigali as part of the Giants of Africa program. 

Founded by the president of the Toronto Raptors Masai Ujiri, the non-profit organisation has held youth basketball camps across the African continent every summer since 2003 with the goal of discovering basketball talent. The 2015 edition attracted 50 of the top young players in Rwanda, where they underwent intensive training at Rwanda’s largest stadium, the Amahoro Stadium. 

Among those who attended the Giants of Africa camp in Kigali was Ian Kagame, the 19-year-old son of the Rwandan dictator who arrived in an armed motorcade. His older sister, Ange, also attended a portion of the camp with representatives of the Rwandan basketball federation.

In a video published by the NBA following the event, Ujiri revealed that he is a close friend of the Rwandan president. 

“I am really proud of this country and proud to be a personal friend of President Kagame. I am going to his house tonight,” Ujiri said.  

The following year, Kagame attended an NBA Africa luncheon with league commissioner Adam Silver and Ujiri, as part of the all-star game festivities. In 2018, he delivered a keynote speech at a reception hosted by the NBA in New York City. By the following year, Kagame attended his first NBA All-Star game, where he was pictured hanging out with French football legend Thierry Henry. 

Also in 2018, Kagame was invited by the NBA to the first game of the Western Conference semifinals between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston ­Rockets in thanks for helping develop basketball in Africa. 

“President Kagame and his family are very knowledgeable NBA fans, and we appreciate his support and that of other African leaders to grow the game across the continent,” Silver said at the time.

Kagame’s relationship with the NBA was further strengthened during the Covid-19 pandemic, when Rwanda replaced Dakar, Senegal, as the host of the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) after Senegalese authorities withdrew from the event. 

Visit Rwanda, an extension of the state-run Rwanda Development Board, became the BAL’s tourism sponsor, while the country’s official airline, RwandAIR, became the league’s official airline sponsor. 

Kagame's most notable basketball accomplishment came in December 2023 when his former aide and cabinet minister, Claire Akamanzi, was appointed CEO of NBA Africa, further consolidating Kagame's influence over the sport. 

One might wonder why Kagame chose basketball as his gateway into sports diplomacy. The sport enjoys immense popularity in the United States but also has a growing fan base around the world, including in Africa. By positioning Rwanda as a key hub for basketball and the NBA in Africa, Kagame is cementing his role as a leading African figure in a sport that is gaining traction across the continent.

And yet, Kagame wasn't content with just that. After solidifying his soft power strategy through basketball, he shifted his focus to the world's most popular sport.

The special relationship with Arsenal 

On Tuesday, April 9, while national police told his countrymen to restrict football-related activities to mark the 30th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, Kagame visited the United Kingdom to watch a Champions League game between Arsenal and Bayern Munich. 

Kagame has long been known as an ardent supporter of Arsenal, and even gained a degree of notoriety after a series of angry tweets following Arsenal’s loss at Brentford on the opening day of the 2021-22 Premier League season, where he blasted the side’s “mediocrity”.

Arsenal also has a lucrative sponsorship deal as Rwanda’s official tourism partner that involves a “Visit Rwanda” logo emblazoned on the team’s shirt sleeves. The deal, which began in May 2018, is worth more than $40 million—an expensive deal that Kagame claims has paid for itself in tourism revenue. In 2021, Arsenal signed a four-year sleeve sponsorship contract with Visit Rwanda.

While Kagame claims that his government’s partnership with Arsenal boosts Rwanda’s tourism drive, the deal is yet another example of an authoritarian leader weaponizing sports for political gain, whether to distract from ongoing human rights abuses or to expand his country’s influence and brand recognition. 

“The government in Kigali claims the boost to Rwanda's tourist industry justifies the cost of its sponsorship deals. I doubt the figures stack up: Rwanda has a track record of massaging its statistics,” Dr. Michela Wrong, journalist and author of ‘Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad’, she tells Play the Game. 

“But Kagame definitely benefits enormously in terms of image and reputation. Sexy, good-looking young athletes with huge social media followings and minimal interest in African politics fly to Kigali, tweet photos of themselves baptising baby gorillas - who can resist a baby gorilla? - shake hands with Kagame and the job is done: the image of a safe, clean, plucky African nation and its visionary leader goes out to the world.” 

“The fact that these athletes are shaking hands with a dictator who routinely rigs elections, assassinates his rivals and locks up opposition leaders, a man whose army has invaded its neighbouring country, is whitewashed over,” says Dr. Wrong. 

Arsenal’s partnership with Visit Rwanda came under scrutiny in 2022, when the United Kingdom and Rwandan governments announced a plan to send asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda. The plan, which was struck down by the UK Supreme Court the following year, prompted criticism about Rwanda’s ongoing human rights abuses, as well as Arsenal’s role in whitewashing those abuses. 

Arsenal, in turn, responded by claiming it had carried out “extensive research” into Rwanda and that their partnership focused on tourism and not political allegiance. The club has since refused to end its partnership with Rwanda. 

It is also worth noting that Visit Rwanda also has deals with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, the latter of which drew criticism from Bayern fans. The five-year advertising deal, which began in 2023, was announced shortly after Bayern chose not to renew its sponsorship with Qatar Airways. 

These wide-ranging partnerships underscore the Rwandan regime’s emphasis on using sports to polish its international image. Yet, it seems the country is only beginning to ramp up its efforts, with plans to host the 2025 UCI World Championships and reported discussions to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix event. If successful, it would mark the first time the Grand Prix has been staged on the African continent in more than three decades. 

“The breadth and range of Rwanda's sportswashing, given the country's size and poverty, is extraordinary,” says Dr. Wrong. “I can't think of another African country that puts as much energy into sports washing as Rwanda.”

‘Genocide guilt’ and sports to control narrative  

In August 2024, Ugandan journalist Andrew Mwenda claimed that Rwanda was attempting to host a rematch between boxing legends Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. 

Speaking on a Rwandan radio show, Mwenda revealed that the bout would likely take place in November 2024 and would cost approximately $200 million. 

"Everyone is attracted to Rwanda because President Kagame is a shining example of enlightened leadership in Africa,” Mwenda, a close associate of Kagame and his family, said. 

Though the fight has yet to be officially confirmed by either boxer, it serves as another instance of Kagame's use of sports to advance his political agenda and improve his image in the West. 

Dr. Wrong noted that Kagame's involvement in various sports has significantly bolstered his standing, even enabling him to shape a controlled narrative about Rwanda in the years following the 1994 genocide.

“Rwanda has two cards it plays brilliantly when it comes to laundering its image on the world stage and silencing discussion,” she says.

“One is the Genocide Guilt Card, which is brought out any time the regime is criticised for its ghastly human rights record at home and abroad. "Where were you when my people were being slaughtered in 1994?" Paul Kagame tells his critics. Those critics could remind him that his own forces have a huge amount of blood on their hands and questions to answer, but too often they just go silent.” 

“The other card Rwanda plays is its association with various sports organisations and clubs. They have provided Kagame with a fantastic method of bypassing the facts on the ground and his own tainted path to power, communicating instead directly with that part of the Western public that has no interest in historical detail or political reality. The genocide is a downbeat association, Rwanda's association with a range of sports is the opposite: upbeat and cheering. The combination is brilliantly effective.”

This effectiveness is evident in Kagame’s growing influence in the world of sports. From basketball and football partnerships to hosting international spectacles, the dictator has transformed the perception of his country from a poor developing nation into a powerhouse in African sports and entertainment. And yet, this perception of change does not match reality. 

The United Nations reports that 48.8 percent of Rwanda’s population is "multidimensionally poor," facing multiple simultaneous disadvantages. Additionally, 22.7 percent are considered vulnerable to falling into multidimensional poverty. 

Rwanda also depends on international aid to pay its public workers, including doctors and healthcare practitioners. 

Despite these alarming statistics, Kagame continues to invest millions in some of the world's wealthiest sports, betting that a sports-powered public relations campaign will yield more benefits for him than long-term investments in critical areas like healthcare and education. 

According to critics like Dr. Wrong, this should bother sports league officials and fans alike, who should be asking how Kagame can afford these deals. 

“But above all, they should ask themselves if they want the organisations and clubs they love to be associated with one of Africa's most repressive presidents, a man accused of ethnic cleansing that left mass graves scattered across Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.” 

“Is that the kind of company they want to keep?” she asks.