Award-winning rapper Cardi B has wrapped up her West African tour. The trip included performances in Nigeria and Ghana, memorable moments with fans, and some meaningful acts of philanthropy. Writing for Quartz Africa, Saratu Abiola describes Cardi B’s time in Africa as “refreshing” for both the way she embraced the people and the positive representation of Africa she shared with the rest of the world.
The first stop on Cardi B’s tour was Nigeria, where she performed at the Livespot X Festival at the Eko Atlantic City in Lagos. Wearing the colors of the Nigerian flag, she greeted enthusiastic fans with many of her biggest hits like “Bodak Yellow” and “Lick.” While in Nigeria, she also adopted a Nigerian name. She shared with her fans on Instagram that she was now going by Chioma B, from the Igbo language.
Before leaving Nigeria, Cardi B took the time to buy supplies for an orphanage. Along with hip-hop executive Brooklyn Johnny and the rest of their entourage, Cardi B brought carloads of supplies to the Motherless Babies Home, including diapers, water, and food. Cardi took to Instagram to give a touching shoutout to the orphanage staff.
Next up was Ghana, where she performed at the Accra Sports Stadium in the capital city. Once again, she chose to wear the colors of the flag for the performance and she regaled fans with many of her hit songs. Ghana was a whirlwind 24-hour trip but one she described as “fun” despite a brief bit of drama apparently caused by a miscommunication.
Cardi B’s time in Africa also included some sightseeing and moments of real connection with fans. She even spent some time at a strip club in Lagos, undoubtedly making the nights of the dancers. For Abiola, this kind of authentic interaction is why Cardi B’s African trip was unique and special: “The real novelty of her visit was her treating these places as she would have done anywhere else: besides just performing, she took time to relax and have fun, and then put it all on Instagram stories. She made the places she visited look like fun places to be.”
From entertaining fans in the way only she can to impacting lives for the better through charitable giving to potentially positively shaping how the world thinks of Africa, Cardi B’s brief African tour was a smashing success.
Photo Credits: Cardi B – Openair Frauenfeld 2019 07 by Frank Schwichtenberg under CC BY-SA 4.0
