By Eugene Ora
Grammy-winning South African
singer Tyla has removed Lagos from the schedule of her APOP World Tour,
days after calls by some Nigerians to boycott her planned concert over renewed
xenophobic attacks against Nigerians living in South Africa.
A review of the singer's updated tour itinerary on Friday
showed that the Lagos concert, which had been scheduled for 22 December, is no longer part of the
international tour.
The revised schedule retains her performances across Europe,
North America and South Africa, including the final concerts in Cape Town on 4 January and Johannesburg on 9 January, but Nigeria no longer
features among the destinations.
The development follows a wave of online reactions that
greeted Tyla's earlier announcement naming Lagos as the only Nigerian stop on
the tour.
While many fans welcomed the prospect of seeing the South
African star perform in Nigeria, others argued that the concert should not go
ahead at a time when Nigerians continue to face reported xenophobic attacks in
South Africa.
The calls for a boycott gathered momentum on social media,
with some users insisting that South African entertainers should not enjoy
support in Nigeria while violence against foreign Africans, including
Nigerians, remains a recurring concern in South Africa.
However, others strongly opposed the campaign, arguing that
artists should not be blamed for political tensions or criminal acts carried
out by individuals.
Among those who defended the singer was political activist
and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election,
Omoyele Sowore, who urged
Nigerians not to direct their anger at Tyla.
In a post on X, Sowore said the singer should not be held
responsible for xenophobic attacks, insisting that public frustration should
instead be focused on those directly responsible for the violence.
"No one should hold a talented musician like @Tyllaaaaaaa
vicariously liable for the crimes of xenophobia," he wrote, adding that
Tyla's Lagos concert should be allowed to proceed.
The controversy intensified after social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, vowed to mobilise members
of his "Ratel Movement" to prevent the concert from taking place.
In a statement shared on his Facebook page, the activist
declared that the show would not hold in Nigeria, accusing South African
celebrities of failing to publicly condemn attacks on other Africans living in
their country.
He said his campaign was intended to express solidarity with
victims of xenophobic violence and called on South Africans to reject attacks
on fellow Africans regardless of their nationality.
The hashtags #NoToXenophobicAttacks
and #RatelMovement accompanied
his statement as supporters and critics continued debating the issue online.
Although Tyla and her management have not publicly explained
why Lagos was removed from the tour schedule, the decision comes amid renewed
concern over the safety of Nigerians in South Africa following reports of fresh
xenophobic attacks.
The latest reports include the killing of Chika Ibe, a Nigerian who was
reportedly attacked in Cape Town, an incident that has reignited calls for
stronger protection of Nigerians living in the country.
Xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals have remained
a recurring source of diplomatic tension between Nigeria and South Africa over
the years, with successive incidents prompting public outrage, protests and
demands for stronger action from both governments.
With Lagos now missing from the APOP World Tour calendar,
uncertainty remains over whether the concert has been permanently cancelled or
could be rescheduled at a later date. For now, however, the removal has added a
fresh chapter to the wider debate over xenophobia, accountability and the
impact of political tensions on cultural exchanges between Africa's two biggest
entertainment markets.
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