Grammy-winning South African singer Tyla has quietly removed her scheduled Lagos concert from her APOP World Tour following intense backlash from Nigerians protesting xenophobic violence against their citizens in South Africa.

The December 22 performance no longer appears on the artist's official tour website, though neither Tyla nor her management have issued a public statement about the cancellation. The removal came after prominent Nigerian media personalities and activists called for a boycott of the concert in response to renewed anti-immigrant attacks in South Africa.

The controversy highlights the deepening diplomatic rift between Africa's two largest economies, as xenophobic violence in South Africa continues to target Nigerian nationals and other foreign residents.

Xenophobic Attacks Escalate

The calls to boycott Tyla's concert intensified following a wave of anti-immigrant protests across South Africa in July and August, during which tens of thousands of foreign nationals were threatened, assaulted, or expelled from their homes. Nigerian citizens were disproportionately targeted, according to human rights organizations monitoring the violence.

South African protesters accused foreigners of taking jobs from locals and driving up crime rates, echoing rhetoric that has fueled periodic outbreaks of xenophobic violence in the country since the end of apartheid. At least seven people died in the recent unrest, and Nigerian authorities reported that more than 2,000 of their citizens fled South Africa in a two-week period.

Media personality Dotun and writer Solomon Buchi were among the most vocal advocates for boycotting Tyla's Lagos show. "How can we support an artist from a country that is actively brutalizing our people?" Buchi wrote on social media. "This isn't about punishing Tyla personally—it's about accountability and solidarity with Nigerians under attack."

Diplomatic Tensions Mount

The xenophobic violence has strained relations between Abuja and Pretoria. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu summoned the South African ambassador to demand stronger protections for Nigerian citizens, while South African officials have struggled to contain the violence and prevent further attacks.

Trade between the two nations, valued at more than $3 billion annually, has already suffered disruptions as Nigerian businesses reconsider investments in South Africa. Some Nigerian companies have suspended operations in South African cities where anti-immigrant sentiment runs highest.

The cultural sphere is now feeling the impact as well. Nigerian artists, who have historically enjoyed strong fan bases in South Africa, face difficult decisions about performing in a country where their own citizens face violence.

Mixed Reactions in Nigeria

Not all Nigerians supported the boycott call. Some argued that penalizing an individual artist for her country's social problems was unfair and counterproductive to building cultural bridges across the continent.

"Don't punish Tyla for xenophobic acts she didn't commit," former Senator Shehu Sani wrote on X. "Art and music should unite us, not divide us. Hold the perpetrators accountable, not innocent artists."

Despite such defenses, the boycott movement gained enough momentum to make the Lagos concert commercially unviable. Ticket sales reportedly stalled as the controversy grew, and security concerns about potential protests at the venue likely influenced the decision to remove the date from the tour.

A Broader Pattern

The cancellation is part of a broader pattern of African cultural exchanges being disrupted by xenophobic tensions. South African artists have faced similar boycott calls when attempting to perform in Nigeria, creating a cycle of cultural isolation between two countries that should be natural allies.

Pan-African organizations have called for both governments to do more to address the root causes of xenophobia, including economic inequality, unemployment, and misinformation campaigns that scapegoat foreign nationals for domestic problems.

Tyla's world tour continues with scheduled performances across Europe and North America. The artist, who won the Grammy for Best African Music Performance in 2024, had been expected to draw one of the largest crowds of her career in Lagos, a city known for enthusiastically embracing Afrobeats and African pop music.