Global Citizen is making headlines with its latest endeavor, as they prepare to bring the international concert circuit back to Africa after Ghana hosted the festival in 2022.
Kendrick Lamar’s creative services company, pgLang, has teamed up with Global Citizen to launch “Move Afrika,” a groundbreaking initiative aimed at establishing an annual touring circuit across the African continent.
The highly-anticipated tour is set to kick off in Kigali, Rwanda, on December 6th, with Kendrick Lamar himself headlining the event. The primary objective of this ambitious project is to inspire local artists and promote African culture and creativity on a global scale. The organizers have laid out a five-year plan, focusing on creating job opportunities through immersive concerts.
“Move Afrika” plans to expand its reach by including tour stops in five different African countries by the year 2025. What sets this tour apart is the commitment to featuring performances by local talents from the regions where each concert takes place.
Kendrick Lamar’s pgLang will play a pivotal role as the curator of “Move Afrika” through 2028, ensuring the program’s artistic and cultural integrity. Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans expressed his excitement for the project, highlighting that Lamar’s performance in Rwanda will be funded through a combination of philanthropic donations and corporate support.
Evans explained, “Move Afrika is about social enterprise – and over time, it provides certainty to our vendors and partners, enabling them to scale and expand. Our goal is that this tour will spur the growth and development of small businesses across the region to deliver both our events and many more year round, as other artists take advantage of the tour routes.”
This initiative is not only a celebration of African artists and culture but also a recognition of the global impact of African music. Recent hits by African artists like Burna Boy, Rema, and Davido have taken the world by storm, and organizations like MTV and the Grammys are responding with new award categories to honor this thriving music scene.
Kweku Mandela, Global Citizen’s Chief Vision Officer, emphasized the importance of ensuring that Africans have access to the biggest concerts in the world, just like anyone else. He dispelled the notion that there’s a lack of infrastructure or technical crews, asserting that the true barrier has been a lack of will.
Mandela stated, “The reality is, there’s just a lack of will because we’ve seen some of the biggest artists come to this continent over the last few decades.”
In addition to the performances by Kendrick Lamar and local talents, “Move Afrika: Rwanda” will include an advocacy campaign urging world leaders to take action on issues affecting Africa. The event aims to be a paradigm shift, signaling that there is immense opportunity on the African continent for the global music industry to engage with and embrace.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Move Afrika: A Global Citizen Experience” is not only a significant cultural milestone but also a beacon of hope for the future, as it opens doors for African artists and showcases the continent’s rich and diverse talent on the world stage.
Source: AP News
