The Nigerian superstar Rema delivered a massive, high-energy headline performance at the BK Arena in Kigali on September 5, 2026, packing out the venue and rocking the stage for over an hour and 20 minutes.
The concert was the official celebration for Rwanda’s 21st Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming Ceremony. Rema ran through global hits including “Calm Down,” “Dumebi,” “Soundgasm,” and “Ozeba,” leaving the crowd electric from start to finish.
But the road to the stage wasn’t smooth. The show faced significant controversy before the event.
Activists and Congolese social media users heavily pressured Rema to cancel, urging him to follow Nigerian artist Tems, who previously pulled out of a Kigali performance over regional conflict involving Rwanda and eastern DRC. Rema chose to move forward.
Then came the local drama. Days before the show, a dress code crackdown banning revealing outfits sparked outrage online. Boycott rumours spread quickly, and early videos of the stadium during sound checks tried to make the venue look empty.
But the tension cooled. Restrictions relaxed at the gates. And the arena filled.
The concert reinforces his standing as one of the most commercially successful Nigerian artists on the continent.
