Ifeoma Chuks-Adizue on How Global Citizen’s Stages Are Driving Change Through African Music

For much than a decade, Global Citizen has utilized euphony arsenic a unit for change, turning festivals into platforms that combat poorness and inequality. From New York to Rwanda and Lagos, African artists person shared stages with the world’s biggest acts, bringing the continent’s dependable to millions of radical crossed the globe.

At the bosom of this enactment is the content that euphony tin some animate and transform. This weekend, arsenic Ayra Starr and Tyla hole to instrumentality the Global Citizen Festival signifier successful New York, BellaNaija speaks with Ifeoma Chuks-Adizue, Global Citizen’s Managing Director for Africa, astir the milestones of the past decade, the powerfulness of representation, and however Move Afrika, Global Citizen’s touring circuit, is acceptable to alteration Africa’s originative economies.

Enjoy the conversation!

Hello Ifeoma. How are you feeling today?

Hi BellaNaija! I’m feeling large and truthful excited to beryllium present speaking to you astir each the astonishing plans ahead.

For the past decade, Global Citizen has been showcasing African artists connected the planetary signifier and has besides brought planetary artists to the continent. Looking back, what relation bash you deliberation these moments person played successful shaping the planetary cognition of African music?

Over the past decade, Global Citizen has been showcasing Africa’s astir dynamic talent, alongside the world’s biggest acts, opening with K’Naan’s show astatine the inaugural 2012 Global Citizen Festival successful New York City’s Central Park.

Global Citizen has helped displacement African euphony from “emerging” to undeniably global, transforming artists from determination stars into household names and redefining Africa arsenic a operator of planetary popular culture, not conscionable a participant

This tin beryllium seen successful our events specified arsenic the 2018 Mandela 100 Festival successful Johannesburg and the 2022 Global Citizen Festival successful Accra, which not lone featured African artists arsenic openers but besides placed them alongside planetary megastars similar Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar, and Usher. 

By showcasing talents similar Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Stonebwoy, Sarkodie, Tems, Davido, and Ayra Starr connected stages streamed to millions worldwide, Global Citizen provided a almighty planetary platform. Many of these artists person since dominated planetary charts, won large awards, and sold retired arenas, proving that African euphony is not conscionable culturally affluent but commercially viable connected a planetary scale.

These flagship moments forced festivals, promoters, and grounds labels to instrumentality notice, showing that African artists tin headline, gully monolithic audiences, and inclination globally. It challenged outdated manufacture assumptions and opened doors for African genres similar Afrobeats, Amapiano, and Afro-fusion to go mainstream popular sounds.

The Move Afrika inaugural extends this bequest by creating recurring, world-class shows crossed the continent, ensuring African euphony is not a one-off spectacle but a imperishable fixture successful planetary festival culture. 

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