Kendrick Lamar will headline a new festival from Global Citizen later this year. Move Afrika: Rwanda takes place on December 6 at BK Arena in the country’s capital, Kigali. The event marks the first installment of a larger series of touring festivals that will expand across the African continent in the coming years. Lamar and Dave Free’s company, pgLang, will curate Move Afrika: Rwanda, as well as additional Move Afrika events, until 2028. Find a poster for the Kigali concert below. Additional artists will be announced soon.
Move Afrika: A Global Citizen Experience was launched to create job and entrepreneurship opportunities across Africa, with the hope that it will engage local artists, vendors, crews, and agencies, while creating investment interests within local communities. The Rwanda edition of the concert series was created in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board. Kigali is set to host the event annually for the next five years. A new country will be added to the touring schedule each year, with the goal of reaching five countries by 2025.
Move Afrika: Rwanda will include a citizen-led advocacy campaign calling for leaders to confront issues across the continent such as climate change, food security, healthcare, and more. “I am honored and humbled to play a meaningful role that supports new age global efforts to deal with health inequity, challenge poverty, and empower women and girls,” Global Citizen’s Africa patron, Tshepo Mahloele, said in press materials. “The neglect of these predicaments, including global warming, have a detrimental effect on the prospects of the citizens of Africa and this situation cannot be allowed to continue unabated. I am happy that the Global Citizen movement has reignited the debate about these critical matters and that it is continuing to keep Africa top of mind by having Move Afrika: Rwanda.”
“Our goal with Move Afrika is to inspire local youth and artists to unlock their creativity,” pgLang said of the event. “We hope to curate an immersive experience that empowers various communities and cultures across Africa and around the world for a lifetime.”