International artists took the stage on Sunday to celebrate Nelson Mandela's centenary as part of "Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100."
Stars like Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z, Ed Sheeran, Pharrell Williams, Oprah Winfrey, and many more were gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, to commemorate Mandela's legacy and life achievements.
Global Citizen was founded in 2008 and went international in 2011, affecting the lives of over 650 million people so far. The organization's goal is to abolish extreme poverty by 2030.
A couple of moments were the center of attention and all people could talk about at this year's festival. While some were great moments, like Winfrey's keynote address, others weren't as much...
Moment #1: Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran's contradicting outfits
International headlines bashed Ed Sheeran's fashion taste and decision to wear a sweater and jeans while his fellow performer Beyoncé was in a ravishing dress.
Discussions online followed their appearance, tackling the issue of "societal pressure" and what is always expected from female vs. male artists.
Moment #2: The hypocrisy of artists like Pharrell Williams who have previously supported Israel
Getting past the outfit meltdown comes one that is slightly more political.
For an artist to participate in a festival commemorating Mandela's legacy yet perform at a fundraiser for the Israel Defense Forces a month before that is odd.
For clarification: Mandela fought against the apartheid in South Africa and demanded for the same to happen in Palestine, while Israel is implementing apartheid in Palestine up until this day.
In November, Pharrell Williams - along with other Hollywood celebrities - attended the Western Region Gala hosted by Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF,) an organization dedicated to Israeli soldiers and veterans.
The sold-out gala saw FIDF raise the highest-ever amount of money in a single event in the organization's history, $60 million. The fund is to be used as academic scholarships for Israeli veterans, financial assistance for soldiers and their families, as well as renovation fees for IDF facilities.
With that in mind, people were quick to notice Williams' "hypocrisy" or "lack of knowledge" when it comes to this matter.
"How can Pharrell Williams claim to be opposed to apartheid in South Africa but not in Israel"
"If South Africa was still an apartheid then Pharrell would support that too"
"Pharrell and his mates paid for the gun"
"Free Palestine"
Are kids in Palestine included?
Moment #4: DJ Black Coffee was also criticized for earlier performance in Israel
South African DJ and producer Black Coffee also performed at Global Citizen Festival, while visiting and performing in Israel earlier this year despite calls from the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) organization.
In his defense, he tweeted out reasons to why he carried out with his concert, saying "Black Coffee is not a political party" and that he has "rights and free will" and needs to "feed my Family."
This year, many artists like Lorde and Lana Del Ray canceled concerts in Israel after receiving heavy criticism by fans and BDS supporters to reconsider their decision to visit the occupying country.
Moment #5: Ed Sheeran rumored to have 2019 concert planned in Israel
An article published by Haaretz rumored Ed Sheeran was in "advanced negotiations to perform in Israel next summer," which brought his fans and pro-Palestine people to demand a cancelation.
Luckily, Sheeran's manager, Stuart Camp, denied the rumors, meaning no talks were in the making, adding that the report by Haaretz was "completely false."