Xenophobia: Tyla removes Lagos from APOP World Tour

South African Grammy-winning singer, Tyla Laura Seethal, popularly known as Tyla, has removed Lagos from the itinerary of her APOP World Tour following calls by some Nigerians for a boycott of her planned concert over xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians in South Africa.

A review of the singer’s official tour schedule on Friday showed that the Lagos concert, which was initially scheduled for December 22, is no longer listed among the tour dates.

The updated schedule maintained her planned performances across Europe, North America and South Africa, but Nigeria was omitted from the list of destinations.

The development came shortly after Tyla announced Lagos as the only Nigerian city included in the tour ahead of the final legs of the concert series in Cape Town on January 4 and Johannesburg on January 9. The announcement generated mixed reactions among Nigerians on social media.

Some Nigerians called for the cancellation of the concert, arguing that South African entertainers should not be hosted in Nigeria while Nigerians continue to face reported xenophobic attacks in South Africa. Others opposed the boycott, stating that musicians should not be held accountable for political issues or actions carried out by individuals.

The controversy also attracted reactions from political activist and 2027 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, who criticised attempts to hold Tyla responsible for xenophobic incidents.

“Nigerians should direct their anger at their real enemies…No one should hold a talented musician like @Tyllaaaaaaa vicariously liable for the crimes of xenophobia,” Sowore wrote on X, insisting that “Tyla’s Lagos concert must go on.”

The debate escalated after activist Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, threatened to mobilise members of his “Ratel Movement” to stop the concert from taking place.

In a statement shared on his Facebook page, VeryDarkMan wrote: “Tyla Show Will Not Be Happening In Nigeria.

“This is a message to South Africans. We are Africans and we don’t unalive our own, since you people have taken it upon yourselves to unalive other Africans because according to you guys other African nationalities living in South Africa are taking your jobs.

“We are standing in solidarity to say no to the promoters and celebrities from South Africa who have refused to speak up against these attacks on other Africans living in South Africa.

“#Notoxenophobicattacks #Ratelmovement Saynotoxenophobicattacks.”

Tyla’s decision to remove Lagos from the tour schedule comes amid renewed concerns over the safety of Nigerians residing in South Africa, following reports of fresh xenophobic attacks and the deaths of Nigerian nationals, including Chika Ibe in Cape Town.