There is something about Zaria Court that captures Kigali in a rather interesting way. You can come here to work, exercise, meet someone, grab a coffee, watch a game, shoot some pool or simply hang out.
I am seated inside a sports bar, sipping spice tea, with a basketball court just outside the window. The game is intense. Inside, giant screens are showing football, basketball, rugby and Grand Prix racing. Apparently, nobody has to agree on what to watch!
One thing I find particularly interesting about this sports bar is its blend of business and leisure. At one table, there are drinking buddies catching up. At another, two men appear to be having a business meeting. I can almost smell a deal in the making! The lady at the next table has turned the bar into her office. Laptop open, notebook on the table, pen in hand and a cup of coffee within reach.
I have a friend who hates this growing trend of people working from coffee shops and restaurants. He owns a co-working space and, understandably, sees coffee outlets taking away some of his potential clients. I understand his grievance, but I am also a culprit. I work from coffee shops whenever I am not at home. Well, this place seems to have a way of accommodating everyone. A group can be downing beers and cheering for their favorite soccer teams while someone else quietly turns the pages of a book over a cup of oriental tea. Everyone seems to have found their corner.
Then there are the jerseys on the wall, celebrating African NBA players, past and present. Many have visited Zaria Court, so these are not just decorations. They tell a little story of the connections this place has made with the world of basketball.
Then there is another interesting connection. Zaria Court was co-founded by Nigerian-born basketball executive Masai Ujiri, who is now Team President and Alternate Governor of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. That gives the basketball jerseys on the wall an even more interesting backstory. This is a place with some serious connections to the international basketball scene!
There is also something personal about the name Zaria. It is the Nigerian city where Masai Ujiri grew up. Historically known as Zazzau, the city is believed to have been renamed after a princess called Zaria, daughter of Queen Bakwa Turunku and sister of the legendary Queen Amina. So, the name on this building carries a little history from northern Nigeria.
Back to Kigali's piece of Zaria, life carries on. People are checking into the hotel, checking out, working out in the gym, shopping, getting their beauty treatments, holding meetings or catching up with friends. The place is a hive of activity.
And that's what makes Zaria Court feel so Kigali. Business, sport, fashion, leisure and culture, all coming together under one roof.
And here I am, watching it all unfold over a cup of spice tea. Sooo Kigali!