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Oprah and Ava Duvernay at Nelson Makamo's studio

Global Citizens putting their money where their mouths are

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By Gugulethu Mkhabela | December 3, 2018 | Travel Leisure

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.

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 Ava DuVernay(@ava) on Dec 2, 2018 at 6:23am PST

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Family...🙌🏾

A post shared by Nelson Makamo(@nelsonmakamo) on Dec 3, 2018 at 5:28am PST

Feature Image: Instagram/NelsonMakamo

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Bonang Matheba