Kendrick Lamar Sets Kigali Ablaze
Move Afrika Launches Groundbreaking Pan-African Tour Circuit with a Sold-Out Show at the BK Arena!
Kendrick Lamar who to some of his old die-hard fans is better known as K-Dot of pgLang was in Kigali Rwanda on 6th December 2023 at the BK Arena serving up his best recipes in rap as usual. The African-American Rapper’s infectious vibes, rhythmic dynamism and top-tier lyricism that always effortlessly have all his fans worldwide and this time round in Rwanda and Africa in a Chokehold. Sharing his life experiences through his highly refined thesaurus of rhyming words that reverberate to the depths of the listeners’ minds accompanied by highly talented dancers and melodic perfection from Lamar’s band, he was able to single handedly turn BK Arena upside-down with such a high energy performance at the sold-out concert.
This was the very first Move Afrika event to be held in Kigali bringing together a multitude of artistes from East Africa to celebrate music, advocacy and culture. The historic night in East African Entertainment will forever be remembered as the parentage of ‘pan-African touring circuit for international artistes.’
The phenomenal event was masterminded by Global Citizen a social action platform for a Global generation that aims to solve the world’s biggest challenges in partnership with pgLang an American independent multidisciplinary creative services company specializing in music and visual media production founded by Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free in 2020 together with the Rwanda Development Board. The event which also marked the start of a five-year incremental tour plan in which a high-end Global-Level tour circuit across the continent aimed at revolutionizing live entertainment in Africa and fronted local economic investment, skilling of youth and entrepreneurship.
The event commenced with a high energy opening from Bruce Melodie a local artiste from Rwanda moving the expectant crowd to some of his ‘viral’ hits such as ‘Ketrina’, ‘Henzapu’ and the crowd favorite ‘When She’s Around’. Right after that act was the emotive and captivating session from a spoken word artiste Fred Mfuranzima with his poem ‘The Unstoppable Sea.’
Just as the crowd filled Arena was getting warmed up for the night amidst the chatter and noise, The Rwanda President Paul Kagame stepped onto the stage donning a MOVE AFRIKA baseball cap welcomed with ululations and ear-splitting shouts. Against the backdrop of the stage decorated with the traditional ‘Agaseke’ peace baskets that hung down as dynamic lighting fixtures President Kagame delivered a short and sweet speech to the riotous crowd calling Africans to unite in solving common issues.
“What a way to end the year” he started out, “with music, with energy and optimism”. He continued to address the country’s dedication towards health and thanked the local health workers on their efforts. “I want to dedicate this moment to the community health workers, who keep us healthy and safe”. While concluding his speech he called for Unity in the continent “There are many things we can address together, working together, our continent stands strong and can address most of our challenges” , “We are looking forward to hosting global citizens every year here in Kigali through MOVE AFRIKA so we are looking forward to working with everyone, we hope you all feel at home and we hope to see you again in the near future, All the best and I wish you all a happy Christmas, Happy new year.”
The real Kung Fu Kenny as some of his ‘deeper’ fans know his artistic expression, visual storytelling and music persona to be, did the show utter justice performing with local Rwandan dancers to an array of hits from across his albums such as Good kid M.A.A.D City, DAMN, Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers with songs such as ‘Count Me Out’, ‘The Blacker the Berry’ and the night’s closing track ‘Savior’
Mid-show, the Grammy award winning artiste took some time off to talk about his life’s and musical inspirations and his life’s purpose. “when I first started doing music I was just doing music for me, talking about my experiences, my life and where I came come from, that was the whole inspiration around ‘Good Kid M.A.A.D City”, “Not in a million years from that day I would have known I’d be in Rwanda, Africa not only touching people back in my community but touching people right here, Thank you” he added.
“When I started writing my whole purpose of music was to evolve and learn myself and continue to understand who I am and removing the perception of who I’m perceived to be”
“No matter where you are around the world, if you really mean what you say. If you really feel what you say, it doesn’t matter where you are at, you will respect and feel that.” Kendrick Lamar
MOVE AFRIKA is the brainchild of pgLang and Global Citizen that was created to pioneer the very first and unique touring circuit for international music throughout Africa.
“We are honored to be hosting the first event here in Kigali at the BK Arena," said Hugh Evans, Co-Founder & CEO, Global Citizen.
MOVE AFRIKA: RWANDA
Move Afrika: Rwanda, in conjunction with Done and Dusted a global production company and the Rwanda Events Group, hired more than 1000 Rwandans, and engaged 75 percent local crew and production staff, all these efforts aimed at the creation of opportunities for skilling the youth in international event training and skill development.
The Teams:
Nyamirambo Women's Center: Repurposing traditional Agaseke peace baskets crafted by 20 artisans from the Nyamirambo Women's Center, dynamic lighting fixtures were created, serving as the centerpiece of the Move Afrika: Rwanda stage and showcasing Rwandan creative excellence worldwide.
Set and Stage: Stufish, in close collaboration with local artist Dolph Banza, designed the set for Move Afrika: Rwanda, drawing inspiration from traditional Kitenge fabric designs.
Broadcast production: Addictive Vibe, a Rwandan film crew, captured behind-the-scenes segments, while Guez Show, a graphic design company, was responsible for video packaging.
Crew, rigging, and security: In collaboration with globally leading riggers from Unusual Rigging, Rwanda Events Group implemented a larger capacity ceiling rig in the BK Arena, enhancing the audience experience. Additionally, Behavioral Detection Observation (BDO) provided world-class security training to 15 event supervisors and managers.
Backing dancers and singers: More than 70 local singers and dancers graced the Move Afrika: Rwanda stage, with additional contributors to the international broadcast program set for release next year. Dancers from the Sherrie Silver Foundation performed alongside Kendrick Lamar, showcasing talent that has uplifted families from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator: Move Afrika collaborated with Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator in Kigali, recruiting, training, and upskilling 35 young individuals aged 18-25. They received on-site training, shadowing event teams to gain valuable work experience at a world-class live music event.
Filmmakers masterclass: Over 15 filmmakers participated in a marketing and social media masterclass, organized in collaboration with the Rwanda Film Office and Rwanda Development Board, providing essential tools to amplify local stories.
As part of its five-year commitment to Rwanda, Move Afrika aims to leverage these collaborations to create long-term opportunities for local entrepreneurs and establish enduring partnerships, facilitating more international artists' performances in Rwanda.
"We view this event as just the beginning of a promising journey for our industry," said Christian Gakwaya, CEO of Rwanda Events Group, a primary vendor for Move Afrika: Rwanda. "With our talented crew and creative minds, coupled with increased international shows and further investments in equipment and skills, we can undoubtedly assume our rightful place as a global leader in events."
Focused on investing in young Rwandans, Move Afrika: Rwanda provided over 4,000 free tickets to young people, including:
Over 500 Rwandan youth, NGOs, and civil society workers participated in Umuganda's efforts to plant over 1,000 trees on Mount Rebero last month.
30 community healthcare workers highlighting the campaign's focus on health equity and access across Rwanda.
200 young people aged 16-21 from four districts received an all-expenses-paid trip for a front-of-stage Move Afrika experience, courtesy of pgLang.
Local and regional fashion designers were featured in a three-day pop-up fashion market during Move Afrika: Rwanda show week, generating economic opportunities, fostering job creation, and promoting cultural integration through the vibrant tapestry of African fashion and design.
"We understand the challenges of limited access, so we aimed to ensure that young people from across Rwanda had the opportunity to experience the first Move Afrika event in Kigali," said pgLang.
Move Afrika's partners include pgLang, the Rwanda Development Board, and TimesLive. The event is supported by BK Arena.
Move Afrika: A Global Citizen Experience is part of a new long-term effort to pioneer an international music touring circuit throughout Africa. pgLang serves as the tour's curator, and in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board, Kigali will host Move Afrika annually for the next five years, expanding to five countries by 2025. The goal is to set a new gold standard for entertainment touring events, increasing demand from international and regional artists to tour in the region and building local capacity within host cities across the continent.
Move Afrika builds on Global Citizen's previous campaigns and events across the continent, including Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 in 2018, Global Citizen Live: Lagos in 2021, and Global Citizen Festival: Accra in 2022.
Move Afrika is supported by various organizations, including Aflimba, African Food Fellowship, Amahoro Builders, Blue Oceans, Chancen International, Dukataze SAYE Company Ltd., EcoRota Rwanda, Future First Kenya, Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology, Safi Life, SmallStepsEveryday, Solid'Africa, Rwanda Development Organisation, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, Inkomoko, Partners In Health, Restless Development, Rising Above the Storms (RAS), Rotary International, The Green Protector, YouthConnekt Africa Hub, Westerwelle Foundation, and Ineza Umuhoza Grace, Co-Founder of the Loss and Damage Youth Coalition and 2023 Global Citizen Prize winner.
