“The goal of Diaspora Calling! has always been to highlight, reflect and reveal the creative abundance of the diaspora,” says Hill, who wore a custom Kids of Immigrants.“The goal of Diaspora Calling! has always been to highlight, reflect and reveal the creative abundance of the diaspora,” says Hill, who wore a custom Kids of Immigrants.
It’s always a special treat when a musical legend like Lauryn Hill hits the stage—but this weekend, the artist commanded a different kind of spotlight for her fans.
In Milton Keynes, England, the singer—along with a group of her closest creative friends—kicked off her second-ever Diaspora Calling! festival, which was born in 2016 out of a desire to spotlight music, art, and political dialogues across the African diaspora. “The goal of Diaspora Calling! has always been to highlight, reflect, and reveal the creative abundance of the diaspora,” Hill tells Vogue. “In addition to artists and musicians, we wanted to involve visual artists, designers, brands, community organizers, and anyone solutions-oriented with something impactful to contribute.”
Hill’s first Diaspora Calling! festival was originally held at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, and the idea for the gathering had ignited after Hill met her now-close friend, the creative multi-hyphenate Alvin Bekoe. “He, his best friend, and their colleagues had formed a recording label called BbnZ Live,” recalls Hill. “He went to great lengths to bring me out to Ghana to perform after I’d spent three months in a federal facility (long story), with the intent of looking after me for the years of music he’d appreciated. Our friendship formed immediately.”
Flash-forward to a decade later, and Hill felt it was the right time to revive the festival. To do so, they brought the affair to the National Bowl, a massive outdoor space that gathered 35,000 attendees. The festival was hosted by comedian Dave Chappelle, and featured performers and speakers such as Wyclef Jean, Erykah Badu, YG Marley, Zion Marley, Giggs, and many more. “It was an incredible location—the image of the crowd from my vantage point was quite moving,” says Hill.
Among the highlights, Hill performed her hits such as “Doo Wop (That Thing)” with Badu, while artist Zion Marley performed the track “Three Little Birds” by his grandfather, Bob Marley. For Hill and the festival organizers, it was all about finding a lineup of creatives that represented the beautiful diversity found across the diaspora. “We put a call out to people that we know, love and respect—who also put out calls to people that they knew, loved, and respected,” says Hill. “The response from the creative community wanting to participate or support was incredible. My children were an obvious inclusion.” (Her sons, YG and Zion, performed alongside her.)
While each musical moment served up something special for the crowd, it was Hill’s link-up with Wyclef Jean that was truly hard to beat: The two musicians collaborated to perform the entirety of 1996 album “The Score” by Fugees, their hip-hop trio originally formed with Pras Michael. It was a choice made to honor its special 30th anniversary. “‘The Score’ is a timeless body of work for us,” says Hill. “Performing it years later allows us to honor what we created, what the album has meant to people around the world, and the generations it continues to reach. Wyclef and I have always appreciated one another’s artistry; The music doesn’t get old for us.”
Of course, for such buzzy reunions and performances, Hill also needed some stage-worthy fashions for the grand evening. To embody the spirit of the festival, Hill looked to the Kids of Immigrants designers Daniel Buezo and Weleh Dennis to come up with a striking custom design for the night. “Both designers are not just a part of the diaspora, but both of them are statement-making artists who use their designs and brands to convey messages of empowerment through clothing,” says Hill. (Dennis is Liberian-American, while Buezo is Honduran-American.)
The final outfit was paired with a striped Denim Tears scarf, a padded Kokin New York teal cap, and statement jewelry by L’Enchanteur. “Fit and function were essential, but so were proportion, texture, symbolism and the way the clothing transformed under stage lighting,” says Hill of the result. “A performance look has to communicate from a distance, while still revealing detail when it is seen closely. It needed to support the music and the movement of the performance, but it also needed to carry meaning of its own.”
It was all these thoughtful touches—from the bespoke fashions to the must-see musical partnerships on the stage—that made Hill’s second Diaspora Calling! a success. But when asked her own favorite moments from the evening, it was like asking Hill to pick a favorite child. “There were so many,” she says. “Seeing the vision come together, feeling the energy between the artists and the audience, and witnessing the community gather in that way was deeply meaningful. “I’m just blessed to be able to carry the message and energy of that movement forward!”
As for Hill’s plans to continue growing the festival? (Hopefully it won’t be another 10 years for a third iteration, for starters.) “I would like Diaspora Calling! to continue traveling and bringing together communities throughout the global African diaspora,” says Hill. “The vision is not only to represent our creativity, but to create lasting relationships and opportunities for artists, businesses and communities to build together. Over the next ten years, I hope the platform can deepen its relationships wherever it goes, and leave an impact that continues beyond each individual festival.”
