Stonebwoy, Stormzy, Usher, Tems, Gyakie, SZA, Sarkodie, and Uncle Waffles gained worldwide attention on Saturday night when they performed at Ghana’s iconic Black Stars Square for this year’s Global Citizen Festival.
The tenth annual ten-hour festival, held simultaneously in New York’s Central Park and Accra, Ghana, garnered millions of virtual attendees and over 20,000 live attendees in support of the event’s overarching message to end extreme poverty by 2030. Along with the headliners, the guest lineup of musicians included Tiwa Savage, Kwesi Arthur, Yaw Tog, Pheelz, and Ghana’s Dance With a Purpose Academy, led by Dancegod Lloyd (DWP).
Dignitaries from around the world gathered to discuss a variety of topics in brief speeches; health, education, food, and water issues received the most attention. The President of Ghana, H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, First Lady of Ghana, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, South African Ambassador to Ghana, Marvel’s Black Panther actors, Damai Gurira and Michaela Coel, and others were among the speakers and hosts on the night.
The show commenced on an energetic note with an epic-benchmark performance from multi-award-winning Ghanaian reggae and dancehall musician, Stonebwoy. The singer rode onto the stage on a horse, evoking a wide range of emotions from the energized audience as he performed songs from his discography. The show progressed with classical performances from Afrobeats singer, Tems; South African DJ, Uncle Waffles; and Ghanaian songbird, Gyakie, leading to more-established acts like Ghanaian rap heavyweight, Sarkodie; BET award-winner Stormzy; SZA; and finally to Usher, who performed with leading choreography group, DWP Academy.
In between his headlining set, Usher invited his surprise guests: Oxlade, Tiwa Savage, and Pheelz, whose deliveries tore into a crowd-pleasing set filled with songs suited for the day’s purpose and messages.
This year’s Global Citizen festival highlighted a full decade of impact working with global citizens as well as celebrated a decade of impact working with the world’s top musicians from the iconic Global Citizen stage, with stages in two iconic locations that united leaders, artists, activists, and Global Citizen to achieve an ambitious policy agenda focused on empowering girls and women; taking climate action; breaking systemic barriers; and lifting up activists and advocates.
