International advocacy organisation Global Citizen officially announced on Monday that Beyoncé and Jay-Z will headline the first Global Citizen Festival to be held in Africa, a free-ticketed event on Sunday, 2 December 2018 at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
The December event is the culmination of Global Citizen's Mandela 100 campaign in partnership with the House of Mandela; a series of global events honouring the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela in his centenary year.
The event will be hosted by Oprah Winfrey, Naomi Campbell, Gayle King, Bob Geldof, Tyler Perry and Forest Whitaker.
Cassper Nyovest, D'banj, Ed Sheeran, Eddie Vedder, Femi Kuti, Pharrell Williams & Chris Martin, Sho Madjozi, Tiwa Savage, Usher and Wizkid will also perform at the event.
U.S. musician Usher said,
"I'm looking forward to partnering with Global Citizen again, this time in South Africa! Celebrating Nelson Mandela's legacy is an honour, and I can only strive to positively impact as many lives as he has."
Activists and music fans can begin to earn their free tickets starting on 21 August and can sign up today at www.globalcitizen.org.za, demanding world leaders make major investments to end extreme poverty and take a stand for women and girls.
The "Mandela 100" campaign seeks to mobilise USD $1 billion in new commitments for the world's poorest, with USD $500 million set to impact the lives of 20 million women and girls worldwide.
These investments will be aimed at ending hunger and increasing access to good nutrition, ending neglected tropical diseases, reducing HIV/AIDS transmission rates, ensuring every child receives a quality education, levelling the law by reforming and repealing sexist laws, providing funding for women's health and family planning, and ensuring access to clean water and safe sanitation worldwide.
A number of world leaders will address the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway and Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, who both serve as co-chairs of the UN Secretary General's Advocacy Group for the Sustainable Development Goals, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, Alexander De Croo, Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium.