Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 is set to be a historic moment in the fight against extreme poverty. The festival, presented and hosted by the Motsepe Foundation, will honor the legacy of Nelson Mandela in his centenary year and will be the biggest campaign on the Global Goals to end extreme poverty ever.
The festival, held in Johannesburg on Dec. 2, 2018, will be the largest concert in the history of the continent. It will have a live audience of around 200,000 and could reach hundreds of millions more through global broadcasting and streaming. Mandela 100 will feature the most heads of state to attend a festival since Global Citizen launched in 2011.
On Tuesday, Global Citizen announced a number of dignitaries that will be attending the festival to commit to end extreme poverty. Among them are:
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Chair of the African Union
President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya
President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana
Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo of Belgium
Dr Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations
Dr. Jim Kim, President of the World Bank
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary and General Executive Director of UN Women
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization
David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme
Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development
Professor Benedict Ayade, Governor of Cross River State, Nigeria
Baroness Scotland of Asthal
Mrs. Graca Machel, UN Sustainable Development Goals Advocate
Ambassador Deborah Birx, Global Aids Coordinator US Government
Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, Board Director of The Power of Nutrition
Peter Sands, Executive Director of the The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
Over the last few months, Global Citizens have taken 3.71 million actions to encourage world leaders, companies, and international organizations to commit to gender equality, food security, water and sanitation, education, and global health.
A significant proportion of Africans are living in extreme poverty. Thirteen of the 15 countries across the world where extreme poverty is rising are currently in Africa. World leaders, NGOs, and corporations attending Mandela 100 are expected to commit $1 billion toward issues faced by the most vulnerable people in Africa.
Alongside these dignitaries, the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 will also feature an array of world class talent, including Beyoncé, JAY-Z, Cassper Nyovest, D'banj, Ed Sheeran, Eddie Vedder, Femi Kuti, Kasey Musgraves, Pharrell Williams & Chris Martin, Sho Madjozi, Tiwa Savage, Usher, and Wizkid.
Trevor Noah will host the festival with co-hosts Naomi Campbell, Dave Chappelle, Sir Bob Geldof, Gayle King, Bonang Matheba, Nomzamo Mbatha, Tyler Perry, and Forest Whitaker. Oprah Winfrey will also be on hand to deliver a special keynote address remembering Nelson Mandela and his legacy.
We will continue to update this list as more information becomes available.
The Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 is presented and hosted by The Motsepe Foundation, with major partners House of Mandela, Johnson & Johnson, Cisco, Nedbank, Vodacom, Coca Cola Africa, Big Concerts, BMGF Goalkeepers, Eldridge Industries, and associate partners HP and Microsoft.