Oprah and Ava Duvernay at Nelson Makamo's studio

Global Citizens putting their money where their mouths are

By Gugulethu Mkhabela | December 3, 2018 | Category

The highly anticipated Global Citizen Festival finally came and went at the FNB Stadium in Soweto on 2 December 2018. The event was part of the weekend celebrations to commemorate Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday anniversary and to honour his legacy of fighting poverty to the end. The event featured high profile celebrities such as Oprah, our very own Trevor Noah, Bonang Matheba, Danai Gurira, Jay-Z and Beyoncè, Pharell Williams, Naomi Campbell, Usher, DJ Black Coffee and many more. Organised by the Motsepe Foundation, it attracted more than 200 000 ‘engaged’ citizens that are heeding the call to help eradicate extreme poverty by the end of 2030. During the festival, it was announced that more than $7,1 billion dollars/R100 billion has been pledged for this cause.

The performances were amazing, from Sho Madjozi's on-fire set, Ed Sheeran and Beyoncè’s dazzling duet, not forgetting Bey’s insane remix of hit 'Halo' featuring a Mzansi choir. We also loved Usher’s mesmerizing moves that incorporated the Vosho and the Gwaragwara. However, we were quite taken with the fact that mama Oprah, Gayle King, Ava Duvernay and Kelly Rowland (who was gifted with a Nelson Makamo piece, see below) amongst others—made time to visit Nelson Makamo’s studio and actually purchased some of his coveted masterpieces.

Take a look below:

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From the moment I saw his work, I was truly in love!! Nelson Makamo is a name we will hear over and over again for years to come! And my family and I are oh so grateful to him, and our beautiful extended family @tjsteyn & @dale_deruig @tderuig for plotting THE MOST thoughtful gift and blessed us with their generosity! We will treasure this for years to come! We genuinely LOVE YOU ALL!! This moment was golden! 🎥& EDITING: @ashleymoniqueharper

A post shared by Kelly Rowland(@kellyrowland) on Dec 6, 2018 at 5:18am PST

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So humbled, what a blessing! #Naledi @oprah @ava @gayleking @kirbybump

A post shared by Nelson Makamo(@nelsonmakamo) on Dec 3, 2018 at 12:58am PST

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Such a pleasure meeting and hosting @ava in the studio - what you do for our culture is nothing short of revolutionary, happy to be on this journey with you 🙏🏾

A post shared by Nelson Makamo(@nelsonmakamo) on Dec 2, 2018 at 5:36am PST

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What a thrill to visit the studio of one of my favorite artists, @NelsonMakamo. An honor, in fact. I can’t wait to welcome this dignified lady into my home. Thank you for introducing me to her, Nelson. And for your gorgeous vision of us. Your work makes me think of our joy and our grace, our triumph and our future.