The 2026 Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion, Event A, Media Day Meet & Greet
Dear our Tanzanian friends, families, colleagues, affiliates, basketball players, fans, parents, sponsors and donors:
We, Rwabutaza Inc and Tanzanian community members in Columbus, Ohio, are excited to announce that we will be hosting our 2026 Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion on the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend from Friday, May 22, 2026, until Monday, May 25, 2026, in our beautiful city of Columbus, Ohio. Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion is a private, exclusive, 3-day sporting, social, business, and networking event for Tanzanians in the US. Welcome!
Our first event, Event A, Media Day Meet & Greet, is from 6:00 pm, Friday, May 22, 2026 until 2:00 am, at OHD Studios, 350 W Johnstown Rd, Gahanna, OH 43230. Our first event is a relaxed, casual, celebratory kick-off event to welcome our basketball teams, Tanzanian schools alumni, sponsors, donors, fans and our guests before the weekend’s bigger activities. From 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm is the media day for our basketball teams to take professional pictures and videos, including interview videos. Meet and greet for everyone is from 6:00 pm to 2:00 am. DJ Ian will bless the music sound waves. Light refreshments and adult beverages will be available.
What is the mission, vision and purpose of Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion?
Our mission is to build our Tanzanian community in the U.S. by promoting and supporting health, fitness, wellness, leadership, teamwork, unity, and collaboration among Tanzanians in the U.S. with respect to economic, investing, business, cultural and social endeavors. It involves a four-team US-based Tanzanian men’s basketball championship, and a two-team US-based Tanzanian women’s basketball championship. It functions as a reunion and a business event for Tanzanians in the US as it hosts various social, business, and networking events. Old and new Tanzanian friends, families, colleagues and affiliates meet, connect and reconnect for community, social, cultural, business and economic purposes. Our long term vision is to connect every Tanzanian living in the U.S. There is power and magic in individuals, communities and businesses connecting, collaborating and transacting with one another in well connected self-sufficient economies.
For more details on the 2026 Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion, please refer to the following information:
- The RSVP guest list of our 2026 Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion.
- The dress code of our night events of our 2026 Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion.
- All-Weekend Program – Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion.
We are looking forward to meeting you and reuniting on the 2026 Memorial Day Holiday Weekend, May 22-25, 2026, in our beautiful city of Columbus, Ohio. Welcome! Karibu!
Organizing Team,
2026 Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion.
Event A: Media Day Meet & Greet
| Start Time | End Time | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 pm | 7:00 pm | Registration and Check-In | All attendees arrive at the venue, register and check in at the registration desk. VIP guests enter the VIP Meet & Greet Cocktail Hour while all others wait in the lobby for a 7:00 General Meet & Greet start time. |
| 6:00 pm | 7:00 pm | VIP Meet & Greet Cocktail Hour | VIP guests (The Guest of Honor, Athletes, Sponsors, Donors, VIP ticket holders and Select Tanzanian Community Leaders) meet and greet. Drinks and light refreshments will be served for FREE. |
| 7:00 pm | 11:00 pm | General Meet & Greet | All attendees meet and greet while enjoying light refreshments. A variety of beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, will be SOLD and SERVED by the venue as required by the state liquor license compliance requirements. Food will also be SOLD and SERVED by the venue as required by the food license compliance requirements. |
| 7:00 pm | 7:15 pm | Welcome Remarks | An organizer, a notable alumnus or an event host will give a brief welcome remark to officially kick off the weekend’s events. |
| 7:15 pm | 11:00 pm | DJ's Music, Networking, Photo Shoot & Event Docu-Series Video Shoot | All attendees meet, mingle and network until the 11:00 pm close. Event pictures and video will be taken for the production of a docu-series. Next day events start early with our 9:00 am soup breakfast, tail-gating at the parking lot of our basketball venue. All attendees are encouraged to rest well and wake up early in time for our 9:00 am soup breakfast and our 10:00 am Saturday morning men's basketball semi-finals. |
Full Events Program – The 2026 Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion
| Event Date | Event Time | Event | Early Bird Ticket (Purchased Before April 15, 2026) | Regular Ticket (Purchased April 15-May 21, 2026) | Weekend Ticket (Purchased May 22-25, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, May 22, 2026 | 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm | Event A: Teams' Media Day & The Reunion's Meet & Greet | $20.00 | $25.00 | $30.00 |
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 | 11:00 am - 3:00 pm | Event B: The Basketball Championship Semi-Finals | Free | Free | Free |
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 | 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm | Event C: The Reunion Nyama Choma (Meal Ticket) | $25.00 | $25.00 | $25.00 |
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 | 10:00 pm - 2:00 am | Event D: The All-White Reunion Night (Regular Admission) | $40.00 | $45.00 | $50.00 |
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 | 10:00 pm - 2:00 am | Event D-VIP: The All-White Reunion Night (VIP) | $800.00 (Up to 6 guests) | $800.00 (Up to 6 guests) | $800.00 (Up to 6 guests) |
| Sunday, May 24, 2026 | 11:00 am - 4:00 pm | Event E: The Basketball Championship Finals | Free | Free | Free |
| Sunday, May 24, 2026 | 6:00 pm - 2:00 am | Event F: The 1st Annual Rwabutaza Awards & The Reunion Ball (Regular Admission) | $40.00 | $45.00 | $50.00 |
| Sunday, May 24, 2026 | 6:00 pm - 2:00 am | Event F-VIP: The 1st Annual Rwabutaza Awards & The Reunion Ball (VIP Admission) | $800.00 (Up to 6 guests) | $800.00 (Up to 6 guests) | $800.00 (Up to 6 guests) |
1. Select the events that you would like to attend.
2. Find their corresponding ticket prices and add them to find the total sum of all tickets.
3. Send the payment of the total sum of all tickets via Zelle to 614.962.3718 (Rwabutaza, Inc).
4. Submit your full name and events you purchased via WhatsApp text or regular text to 614.962.3718, so that your full name can be entered in our Event Entrance Guest Book.
VIP TICKETS:
Saturday/Sunday Night VIP Ticket Features:
* Price: $800 non-refundable, with a 25% non-refundable deposit required to book.
* Admission tickets to the VIP reception, up to 6 guests.
* Admission tickets to the general reception, up to 6 guests.
* Entry: Skip-The-Line.
* Table: A reserved VIP table in a preferred section with prioritized seating.
* Drinks: 1 bottle of select liquor, plus a select soft drink chaser.
Thank You Sponsors!
| Sponsorship Level | Sponsorship Partner | City | State | Country | Industry | Point of Contact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond | |||||||
| Platinum | |||||||
| Gold |  | Higher Education Students' Loans Board (HESLB), Ministry of Education, The Government of The United Republic of Tanzania | Dodoma | Dodoma | Tanzania | Education | Dr. Bill Mrima Kiwia |
| Silver |  | Hope Health | Columbus | Ohio | USA | Health Care | Mr. Mutta Lubago McDonald |
| Bronze |  | A Brighter Living LLC | Columbus | Ohio | USA | Health Care | Ms. Ummy Mbega |
 | Gracious Holding, LLC | Columbus | Ohio | USA | Life Coaching | Ms. Grace Kambira | |
 | Wano | Wichita | Kansas | USA | Media | Mr. Eilmer Bahri | |
| Student's Brand |