South Africa xenophobia: Nigerian celebrities oppose Tyla’s Lagos concert

A growing number of Nigerian celebrities and social media users have launched an online campaign opposing South African singer Tyla’s planned concert in Lagos, citing ongoing xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa.

 

The campaign, tagged “South Africa thinks we’re fools,” gained momentum days after the announcement of Tyla’s December concert in Lagos. Critics argued that the singer had not publicly condemned the attacks or expressed solidarity with affected victims.

 

Popular media personality Do2dtun criticised Nigerians willing to attend the concert, recalling that Burna Boy had previously faced threats over his stance against xenophobia in South Africa.

 

“Burna was issued a warning and threatened over his position on xenophobia, yet many people failed to support him. Today, we should not ignore what is happening,” he said in a post on X.

 

Former Big Brother Naija housemate Pere Egbi urged the Nigeria Immigration Service to deny Tyla and her team entry visas, arguing that Nigeria should respond firmly to what he described as South Africa’s treatment of Nigerian entertainers and citizens.

 

Author and social commentator Solomon Buchi also questioned the planned concert, saying Tyla’s silence on the attacks made her decision to perform in Nigeria insensitive.

 

“Tyla is scheduled to perform in Nigeria this December, and that show must not happen. Not after the xenophobic attacks we have witnessed and without any public condemnation from her,” he said.

 

Content creator Sea King described the concert as poorly timed, insisting that the organisers had failed to recognise the prevailing public sentiment over the attacks.

 

Similarly, digital creator Izzy Ogbeide blamed the situation on what she described as the Federal Government’s failure to adequately defend Nigerians abroad, while another content creator, D English Alhaji, declared that Tyla was “not welcome” unless she publicly condemned the attacks.

 

However, one of the campaign’s most controversial comments came from digital creator Isa Bako, who urged Nigerians to assault anyone attending the concert. His remarks have drawn criticism for encouraging violence.