The Basketball Africa League (BAL) and Social Nation Africa (SNA), a new digital platform that showcases the African creative landscape, today announced a multiyear partnership that will see SNA promote African artists and support the continent’s creative sector through content production in art, culture, music, and sports. The announcement comes as the BAL is preparing to crown its first-ever champion today at 4 p.m. CAT at the Kigali Arena in Rwanda.
As an associate partner of the BAL, SNA will leverage its pioneering creative arts space in Mindelo, Cape Verde, for established and up-and-coming African artists and from the diaspora to share knowledge and produce content that will showcase Africa’s vibrancy, creativity, and diversity, including about sport, basketball and the BAL.
“Our mission is to tell the inspiring and positive stories coming from Africa, and now is the time to recognise the vital role that the creative industry plays in job creation and in shaping the African identity,” said SNA Founder Samba Bathily. “We believe that this strategic partnership with the BAL will allow us to contribute to telling the stories of the continent’s ongoing positive social change and economic transformation.”
“Social Nation Africa shares our commitment to showcasing Africa’s talent and creativity, and in doing so helps the continent write its own narrative,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall. “We’re excited to team up with a partner that is providing a platform for African artists to tell the stories of the continent’s progress and promise.”
The first BAL Finals will take place today at 4 p.m. CAT and will air live in Africa on Canal+, ESPN, beIN Sports, NBA TV, and Voice of America (VOA), as well as through select free-to-air channels across the continent. The inaugural BAL season is reaching fans in 215 countries and territories in 15 languages.
Champions from the national leagues in Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia earned their participation in the inaugural BAL season. The remaining six teams, which came from Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, and Rwanda, secured their participation through BAL qualifying tournaments conducted by FIBA Regional Office Africa across the continent in late 2019.
