Move Afrika – the first major music touring project for the African continent aimed at galvanizing a citizen-led advocacy campaign to promote health and equity, defend planet and create economic opportunity will be held in Rwanda, International advocacy organization, Global Citizen has said.
In a press statement, Global Citizen and creative imprint, pgLang noted that the first Move Afrika event will take place on December 6, 2023 in Kigali with Grammy Award, Pulitzer Prize winning artist and co-founder of pgLang, Kendrick Lamar, headlining the event. pgLang will serve as the Curator of Move Afrika for the next five years, from 2023 until 2028, the statement said.
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Move Afrika is Global Citizen’s latest effort to address the world’s inequities by creating job and entrepreneurship opportunities for the continent’s emerging generations through an annual series of world-class live events.
“Showcasing the best of Africa to the world, these events will drive transformative investments within local communities, engage local artists, vendors, agencies and crews, and provide opportunities for on-the-job skill development and training. Producing a world-class experience for fans and artists alike, Move Afrika will set a new gold-standard for entertainment touring events, increasing demand from international and regional artists to tour in the region and building local capacity within host cities across the continent”.
In partnership with the Rwanda Development Board, Kigali, Rwanda will host Move Afrika every year for the next five years. Each year, additional countries will be added to the tour schedule, which aims to expand to five countries by 2025, the statement said.
The event in Rwanda will feature a citizen-led advocacy campaign calling for urgent action and bold commitments from world leaders on major issues across the continent. Key issues include: the need for increased funding for health, with a specific emphasis on women and girls; addressing the climate crisis and its impact on food security; tackling the lack of access to economic opportunities for future generations; and encouraging civic participation. To take action on these issues, text +250 790 008 555 on WhatsApp, the statement said.
Move Afrika will pave the way for many more artists to tour the Continent, while generating new economic opportunities within the entertainment industry for Africa’s booming youth generation. We are incredibly excited to bring this vision to life with pgLang and Kendrick Lamar, and are grateful for our partnership with the Rwanda Development Board, who shares our belief in this vision,” said Hugh Evans, Co-Founder and CEO, Global Citizen.
“Our goal with Move Afrika is to inspire local youth and artists to unlock their creativity. We hope to curate an immersive experience that empowers various communities and cultures across Africa and around the world for a lifetime,” said pgLang.
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“We are delighted to host Global Citizen and to provide a platform for Move Afrika. This is a unique collaboration that aims to showcase the best of African creative talent to the world, through curated memorable entertainment experiences that address development priorities of our continent. Creating employment and income generating initiatives of the private sector, with a spotlight on the youth, is Rwanda Development Board’s core mandate. Together with Global Citizen and Move Afrika, we will position Rwanda as an entertainment hub for all African countries to benefit from the global creative industry,” Francis Gatare, Chief Executive Officer, Rwanda Development Board said in the statement.
