Global Citizen CEO, Hugh Evans, has a special proclamation for people across America.
Evans, whose organization created the Global Citizen Festival in 2013, exclusively told Us Weekly that he wants everyone to come and celebrate with a special performer this year while also taking action against extreme poverty.
“We’re hoping that everyone across America wants to party with Cardi [B] this weekend,” the Australian humanitarian, 42, told Us. “Her new album is extraordinary, and the fact that she’s chosen to make this the first festival that she’s going to perform at since the album launch is a huge honor. So we couldn’t be more thrilled that she’s part of it.”
Along with Evans, Us also had a chance to chat with entertainer Liza Koshy, who is cohosting this year’s festival alongside actor and festival veteran Hugh Jackman.
“I knew that I wanted to be a part for a really long time, and I was really excited to be asked,” Koshy, 29, told Us. “[I’m] honored to be trusted to be a voice, a very loud and proud voice, for the many voices that are doing the day-to-day grassroots [organizing] and doing the real work. So I get to be a cheerleader and a hype woman for a night that the collective comes together and gets to celebrate the work that’s been going on all year, every hour of the day.”
Cardi, 32, who was recently announced to replace The Weeknd, will join a strong lineup of artists including Shakira, Tyla, Ayra Starr, Camilo and Mariah the Scientist at the festival this Saturday, September 27, in Central Park.
Free tickets are able to be earned by downloading the Global Citizen app, signing up to become a Global Citizen, taking action on issues by completing tasks such as signing petitions and taking quizzes, which enter you to win a free ticket. Tickets are also available for purchase on the Global Citizen website. Free last-minute tickets for Cardi B fans are available at this link.
Since its founding, the Global Citizen Festival has received over “$45 billion in commitments for the eradication of extreme poverty,” Evans told Us.
“This year is so critical, because we’re fighting for three big things. Firstly, we want to raise $30 million to provide education access for 30,000 children as part of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, and so we’re hoping to achieve that goal by Saturday night,” Evans said. “Secondly, we want to protect 30 million hectares of the Amazon rain forest. So we need Germany, France and Norway to step up and help us secure [a] $200 million investment to invest in indigenous communities across the Amazon so they don’t need to resort to alternative means to earn a living. They can have more sustainable ways, and don’t need to resort to farming or cattle ranching or industrial agriculture. And then finally, we want to expand energy access for a million people across Africa.”
Evans said the festival continues to resonate with people in this cultural moment because we are witnessing a “breakdown of the basic human contract.”
“I think people are actually, in a time when our leaders aren’t leading, citizens are stepping up like never before to show that we need to withhold the basic values of humanity that we all grew up believing in. And this isn’t a new idea,” Evans told Us. “This has been around for a very long time. Whether it was dating back to the days of the post-Second World War rebuilding of Europe, right through to when even George [H.W.] Bush created the Points of Light institute and put service above self. These are bipartisan ideals. And I think right now, Global Citizen provides that moment where we actually get to see the best of humanity.”
Koshy told Us that with all that is happening in the world currently, it is important now more than ever to not only speak out but also take action against issues that are negatively affecting society.
“There’s so many reasons to feel overwhelmed with what’s going on in the world, and we get that, but we also know that inaction is the only way to guarantee that nothing changes, which is why the reminder of all of us gathering together is of utmost importance,” Koshy said. “Too often, the loudest voices set the agenda, like Hugh was saying. So it’s essential to make sure yours is just as loud and just as heard. And Cardi [B] will definitely be loud. I will definitely be loud. So gathering together those loud and proud voices to remind you of the power of your own is important.”