Exclusive: Global Citizen Festival Issue India Campaign Update, Announce South Africa Debut

To celebrate the centenary year of human rights leader Nelson Mandela, Global Citizen will host its first ever edition in Johannesburg, South Africa on December 2nd. The free-ticketed event ”“ much like their India debut in November 2016 ”“ will host the likes of hip-hop power duo Beyoncé & Jay-Z, rock veterans Pearl Jam’s frontman Eddie Vedder, U.K. pop artist Ed Sheeran, R&B star Usher and a special set from superproducer Pharrell Williams and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

Prior to the South African edition, the annual Global Citizen Festival in New York’s Central Park is scheduled to take place on September 29th. Closer home, Global Citizen India’s latest accountability report states that within 18 months of launching their campaign via Global Citizen Festival India, there has been a disbursal of $2.26 billion (USD) as part of commitments made on the festival stage, impacting the lives of over 303.06 million people in India.

The total number of lives set to be affected by the commitments has now increased to 559.56 million, the report added.

At the Johannesburg event, Martin–a curator of the Global Citizen Festival–will joing artists from the region including Nigerian Afro-pop singer Tiwa Savage, saxophonist Femi Kuti (son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti), hip-hop producer-musician Cassper Nyovest and more. Appearances at the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 also include human rights activists such as supermodel Naomi Campbell, musician Sir Bob Geldof, actor Forest Whitaker and more. Martin said in a statement, “It has been such a pleasure to put together [this edition], and all of the artists have been amazing to work with, perhaps because this is a chance for us to show that we all believe in the same things he [Nelson Mandela] did: love, acceptance and forgiveness.”