35,000 Fans Show Up For First Diaspora Calling Festival In The UK

More than 35,000 people from across the UK and beyond gathered at Milton Keynes National Bowl on Friday, Aug. 7, for Diaspora Calling!, conceived and curated by Ms. Lauryn Hill and hosted by Dave Chappelle.

The landmark celebration brought together an extraordinary cross-generational line-up featuring Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Erykah Badu, YG Marley, Zion Marley, Giggs, Fireboy DML, Seun Kuti and The Compozers, alongside DJ sets from DJ OBI and Michael Brun and a surprise appearance by Kano during Giggs’ set, bringing together two of the most influential voices in British rap.

Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Fugees’ landmark album The Score, revisiting defining songs including “Ready or Not” and “Fu-Gee-La.” The set also moved through their individual catalogues, with Wyclef Jean performing “911” and Hill delivering solo favourites including “Ex-Factor,” “Doo Wop (That Thing)”, joined by Erykah Badu, and “To Zion.” YG Marley and Zion Marley joined Hill and Jean onstage, while The Compozers performed alongside Hill during the closing set.

Chappelle led through the event, introducing artists, framing some of the day’s biggest moments and bringing his distinctive voice as a comedian, storyteller and cultural commentator to the National Bowl stage. His appearances helped connect a program spanning generations, continents and genres, from Afrobeat and Afrobeats to hip-hop, R&B, soul, reggae and UK rap.

Erykah Badu delivered her hits including “Apple Tree,” “Window Seat,” “On & On” and “Back in the Day.”

All performances captured the wider vision behind Diaspora Calling!, connecting generations of Black music and culture while celebrating the shared influences that have travelled between Africa, the Caribbean, the UK, the US and communities across the global diaspora.

Backstage, Diaspora Calling! drew an equally notable gathering of artists and cultural figures, with Gunna, Common, Rapsody, Tiwa Savage, Little Simz, Stonebwoy, Victony, Derek Chisora, Sabrina Elba, Tolu Coker, Zeze Millz and Foday Dumbuya among those spotted at the event.

The festival’s footprint stretched beyond Milton Keynes, with thousands of fans taking part in a series of Diaspora Calling! cultural moments across London in the days leading up to the event. At 180 Studios, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean met fans and signed albums, memorabilia and exclusive merchandise in celebration of the 30th anniversary of The Score. Later that day, Piccadilly Circus hosted the public unveiling of Diaspora Calling!, a new CIRCA commission by acclaimed Los Angeles artist Lauren Halsey and curated by Hill. Presented across the iconic Piccadilly Lights, the work transformed one of London’s most recogni`able public landmarks into a large-scale celebration of Black imagination, cultural memory, community and the global African diaspora.

ABOUT DIASPORA CALLING!

Diaspora Calling! is a multidisciplinary music, arts and cultural platform conceived by Ms. Lauryn Hill to celebrate, connect and strengthen Africa and its global diaspora. First presented at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre in 2016, Diaspora Calling! brings together artists, cultural leaders, thinkers, organizations, entrepreneurs, innovators and communities through music, visual art, storytelling, dialogue and shared cultural experience. Guided by the principles of collective power, healing, unity and celebration, Diaspora Calling! creates space for communities separated by geography, language and history to recognize one another, exchange ideas and build lasting relationships. Its purpose extends beyond representation and performance. Diaspora Calling! is designed to turn cultural connection into collaboration, opportunity and progress—building toward Sovereign Futures. For additional information, visit diasporacalling.com.

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