Global Citizen Festival’s latest initiative, Move Afrika, is bringing none other than the acclaimed rapper Kendrick Lamar as its headliner. On Monday, Global Citizen announced the festival’s inaugural event in Rwanda, which will not only feature Lamar’s stellar performance but also mark a significant step in the organisation’s commitment to empowering African communities. It is scheduled for December 6 at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
Lamar’s involvement doesn’t just stop at being the headliner of the event. His company, pgLang, led by Lamar and Dave Free, is set to play a pivotal role in curating the event. What’s even more exciting is that pgLang will continue to curate Move Afrika events for the next five years, promising a consistent flow of top-tier entertainment and cultural experiences.
Move Afrika represents Global Citizen’s latest effort to address global inequities and promote positive change. It aims to create job and entrepreneurship opportunities for Africa’s emerging generations through a series of world-class live events.
The initiative doesn’t stop at entertainment, it’s committed to investing in community-provided health services for local communities, forging partnerships with local vendors, agencies, artists, and crews to provide valuable on-the-job skill development and training opportunities.
This ambitious initiative is set to focus on promoting equity through health, environmental, and economic policy goals. The official Global Citizen site underlines the importance of collective action, stating, “We are calling on Global Citizens to take action to ask African leaders, philanthropy, and the private sector to make significant commitments to make meaningful progress towards strengthening health systems.”
Kigali, Rwanda, will serve as the Move Afrika tour’s “anchor city” until 2028, with plans to expand to more countries on the tour schedule. Global Citizen aims to add four additional countries to the tour by 2025, broadening the reach and impact of the event.
In addition to his involvement in Move Afrika, Kendrick has been making headlines for his recent collaborations, including a track with his cousin and fellow rapper Baby Keem titled “Hillbillies.” He also rerecorded a remix of Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” for 1989 (Taylor’s Version) in late October.
Kendrick also delivered a riveting performance of “America Has a Problem (Remix)” with Beyonce on September 4 during the singer’s birthday show at the Renaissance World Tour Los Angeles stop.