Nigerians urge Tyla to cancel Lagos concert over xenophobia concerns

Award-winning South African singer Tyla is facing a wave of opposition from some Nigerians ahead of her planned performance in Lagos, with many calling on her to cancel the show over concerns linked to xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

The Grammy-winning artiste recently unveiled the African leg of her world tour, which includes a stop in Lagos on December 22.

However, the announcement sparked a flurry of reactions on social media, with many Nigerians taking to the pages of the concert promoter, Live Nation, to express their displeasure and urge that the Lagos concert be removed from the tour schedule.

Several commenters accused Tyla of failing to publicly condemn the recurring xenophobic attacks in South Africa, where Nigerians have, over the years, been subjected to violence, intimidation and deportation.

The backlash was largely directed at Live Nation’s promotional posts, with users insisting that the singer should not perform in Nigeria until she addresses the concerns surrounding the attacks on foreign nationals, particularly Nigerians.

As of the time of filing this report, neither Tyla nor Live Nation had publicly responded to the criticism or the calls to cancel the Lagos concert.

One user wrote, “We don’t want you in Nigeria. You are so shameless and have no moral or cultural respect for Nigeria. Take your tour to your country. Shame on you.”

Another commenter said, “Hey, remove Nigeria from that list. We don’t want anyone from the xenophobic country.”
A third user wrote, “She’s not welcome in Nigeria. Her people are xenophobic. Nigerians have recently been killed on South African soil by South African police.”

Some reactions went beyond criticism, with one user threatening to organise a mass report of Live Nation’s X account over the announcement.

Joining the conversation, popular media personality and OAP Do2dtun also appealed directly to the singer on X, urging her to reconsider staging the Lagos concert in light of the lingering anger over xenophobic attacks.

Addressing Tyla, Do2dtun described her as “an amazing musician with a great personality” but argued that public figures have a responsibility to speak on issues affecting their identities.

“I am pretty sure you wouldn’t have loved it if people in countries you go to don’t want you there or punish you for the sins of others,” he wrote. “We can agree or disagree on so many things, but one thing we both have to agree on is that our positions in this space also enable us to take charge of social issues that directly affect our identities without bias.”

Do2dtun said that while he respected the singer, he believed “this isn’t the right time” for her to perform in Nigeria, adding that proceeding with the concert “shows lack of empathy, it’s taunting and lacks emotional intelligence.”

He further stated that “anything other than speaking about the xenophobic atrocities is not welcome,” adding: “As much as we respect it, you are not welcome here. It’s not a threat; it’s an appeal. We only align with respecting people who respect other Africans. No voice means agreement. If you are in agreement with what your country did, it’s fair, but let us heal. The lives of every African matter.”

The backlash reflects lingering resentment among many Nigerians over repeated xenophobic attacks in South Africa, which have strained relations between citizens of both countries.

As of the time of filing this report, neither Tyla nor Live Nation had publicly responded to the criticism or indicated whether the Lagos concert would proceed as scheduled.