Lauryn Hill Hosting Inaugural ‘Diaspora Calling’ Festival

In addition to her string of summer tour dates, ex-Fugee member Lauryn Hill is hosting the inaugural Diaspora Calling Music and Arts Festival in Brooklyn, N.Y., from April 13-15.

The festival, in conjunction with Tidal, is a three-day series of music and art events that aims to celebrate the African Diaspora, with a special focus on Haitian artists.

According to Billboard, the music portion of the festival begins on Friday (April 15) with her sold-out concert featuring performances from Machel Montano (Trinidad), Stephen "Ragga" Marley (Jamaica), Stonebwoy (Ghana), Mr. Eazi (Nigeria), EL (Ghana), Wondaboy (Nigeria), JoJo Abot (Ghana) and Paul Beaubrun (Haiti). The concert will also be livestreamed on Tidal.com.

Hill explained to Billboard that the festival is a curation of works that is "intended to celebrate the rich tapestry of artists from the African Diaspora while also illumining persistent and irrepressible themes."

“Even if we work independently, we are a resounding collective voice, both reconciling and embracing our relationship to history, our origins, our future and to ourselves," she said in the interview.

On Wednesday (April 13), the New Jersey native flexed her DJ skills at the Diaspora Calling kick off. The event was held at a private art gallery at Brooklyn's Kings Theatre and Hill curated the exhibition in collaboration with MoCADA, Nader Haitian Art and The Haiti Cultural Exchange. The gallery will be open to the public on Thursday (April 14) Friday (April 15) from 12-4PM. 

Ticket information for the festival is available at mslaurynhill.com and exclusive festival content is available on Tidal.com.