Kendrick Lamar to headline new festival Move Afrika in Rwanda

Kendrick Lamar has been announced as the headliner of a new festival called Move Afrika: Rwanda.

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The US rapper and singer will headline the event on December 6 BK Arena in the capital of Kigali, as part of a new touring series organised by Global Citizen and Lamar and Dave Free’s company, pgLang.

According to Global Citizen, the debut event is the opening of a “first-of-its-kind music tour across the continent of Africa”, with more regional artists set to be announced on the bill. The event is the first in a “five-year effort that aims to promote health and equity, defend our planet, and create jobs and economic opportunity”.

A limited number of tickets are available to purchase here.

Can’t talk, still in shock from the news that @kendricklamar will be headlining Move Afrika: Rwanda on Dec. 6! Find out how you can join Kendrick and Global Citizen: https://t.co/577RXDf8kW pic.twitter.com/xL6LlO2fdT

— Global Citizen ⭕ (@GlblCtzn) November 3, 2023

The annual series of live events are set to “showcase the best of Africa to the world while also driving investments in the communities where they take place”. The organisers added that “our hope is that people in each community where Move Afrika takes place experience skills training and job opportunity in the entertainment industry”.

“Our goal with Move Afrika is to inspire local youth and artists to unlock their creativity,” pgLang said of the event in a statement (via Pitchfork). “We hope to curate an immersive experience that empowers various communities and cultures across Africa and around the world for a lifetime.”

In other news from Lamar’s pgLang, the company last month announced a limited edition mobile phone, which has been marketed as a less distracting alternative to modern phones. The brand also recently teamed up with Converse for a collaboration named Driven By Luck.

Lamar and Free first joined forces to develop the company back in 2020 – describing it as a “multi-lingual, at-service company”.

In other news from the artist, Lamar re-recorded his verse on Taylor Swift‘s song ‘Bad Blood’ for the pop star’s deluxe edition of ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’.

One of Lamar’s major headlining gigs in recent years was Glastonbury festival 2022, which NME gave five-stars, writing: “The artist puts on a raging party as he closes out Sunday night at Worthy Farm – but he leaves the audience with plenty to chew over too.”