The first-ever South Africa edition of the Global Citizen Festival held yesterday (December 2) at the 94,000 capacity FNB Stadium, Johannesburg.
The event which is sub-themed, ‘Mandela 100’ marks what would have been the 100th birthday of former South African President and activist, Nelson Mandela who died, December 5, 2013, at the age of 95.
The free event which hopes to raise $1 billion for poor women and children across the world, featured performances from Tiwa Savage, D’Banj, Femi Kuti, Pharrell, Ed Sheeran, Casper Nyovest, Usher, plus Beyoncé and JAY-Z who brought their 2-hour long, On the Run II show to Johannesburg while eulogizing Nelson “Mandiba” Mandela.
The Carters took the stage shortly after Oprah delivered a powerful keynote address recognizing the legacy of the late South African president and anti-apartheid leader. After the crowd impatiently chanted “Beyoncé” for several minutes, the couple emerged in stunning costumes and opened with a soul-stirring rendition of Jay-Z’s hit song, “Holy Grail.”
After a video reel intermission which paid tribute to Mandela, the couple returned to stage in new costumes to perform “Apeshit” from their 2018 ‘Everything Is Love’ joint album before bringing out surprise guests Pharrell Williams and Ed Sheeran, who performed “Perfect Duet” alongside Beyoncé.