Beyonce & Jay-Z, Eddie Vedder, Ed Sheeran Lead Global Citizen’s Mandela 100 Fest

Beyoncé & Jay-Z, Eddie Vedder, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay’s Chris Martin will all take part in Global Citizen Festival‘s Mandela 100, a free concert in Johannesburg, South Africa celebrating the centennial of Nelson Mandela’s birth.

Pharrell Williams, Femi Kuti and Usher will also perform alongside South African rappers Cassper Nyovest and Sho Madjozi and Nigerian singers Wizkid, D’banj and Tiwa Savage at the December 2nd concert at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium. Oprah Winfrey will deliver a keynote address on Mandela’s legacy, while Bob Geldof, Naomi Campbell, Gayle King, Tyler Perry, Forest Whitaker and South African TV host Bonang Matheba will serve as hosts for the Mandela 100.

“Nelson Mandela did not care much for tributes. Rather, he was concerned with action, results and impactful outcomes to ensure the restoration of the dignity of all the people of South Africa, Africa and the globe,” Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans tells Rolling Stone.

“It is our hope that the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 drives leaders to pursue such action and results in the effort to end extreme poverty,” Evans adds. “If we are able to achieve that, then we might be able to fulfill Mandela’s unfinished work and live up to being that ‘great generation’ he so desired and believed we were capable of being.”

“It is such an honor to be given the chance to head to South Africa to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s incomparable legacy,” Vedder said in a statement. “He showed an entire generation what it means to be a leader and make a difference for the world’s poor. I’m so grateful that this event will serve as a reminder of his great work and inspire us all to carry on in his name.”

“Nelson Mandela’s life story is a testament to the power of the human spirit and one man’s ability to change the world by standing up for what he believed in,” added Winfrey. “It is one of the great honors of my life to have spent so much time with him, and I look forward to celebrating his courageous life.”

The Mandela 100 seeks to “mobilize USD $1 billion in new commitments for the world’s poorest, with USD $500 million set to impact the lives of 20 million women and girls worldwide. These investments will be aimed at ending hunger and increasing access to good nutrition, ending neglected tropical diseases, reducing HIV/AIDS transmission rates, ensuring every child receives a quality education, leveling the law by reforming and repealing sexist laws, providing funding for women’s health and family planning, and ensuring access to clean water and safe sanitation worldwide,” the festival said.

Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Vedder, Sheeran and Martin, Global Citizen’s curator, are all veterans of the annual fundraising concert. Fans can enter a chance to “earn” free tickets to the Mandela 100 starting August 21st through the Global Citizen site through various “actions” such as contacting world leaders and signing petitions.

In addition to Mandela 100, the first Global Citizen concert to be held in Africa, the festival will also return to New York’s Central Park on September 29th. The lineup for that fest has not yet been announced.