South African singer Tyla has quietly removed Lagos from her world tour dates days after announcing them, amid rising anti-xenophobia backlash from Nigerians.
Tyla Quietly Drops Lagos From World Tour After Backlash Over Xenophobia
South African Grammy winner Tyla has dropped Nigeria from her upcoming world tour just days after announcing 34 cities including Lagos, Johannesburg and Cape Town, the BBC reports. No reason was given, but the change follows growing calls for her to cancel her Nigerian show over anti-migrant violence in South Africa.
Relations between the two countries have soured amid accusations that Nigerians face xenophobic attacks, with tens of thousands of foreigners fleeing South Africa on repatriation flights. A petition demanding Tyla be banned from Nigeria “until xenophobic attacks stop” has gathered thousands of signatures, and fans have flooded her social media urging her to speak out.
Comedian Trevor Noah has faced similar backlash over a tourism advert, with critics accusing him of ignoring the crisis. South Africa’s government maintains it has arrested over 900 people linked to the protests while defending its right to control migration.
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