31.7.2026
South African singer-songwriter Tyla has removed a scheduled show in Lagos, Nigeria as tensions over anti-immigrant violence hamper relations between the two countries.
No reason was given for the change to her tour, but it came after some Nigerians on social media had called for a boycott of the show.
For months, South Africa has been the scene of protests — some of them violent — against African immigrants that demonstrators have blamed for crime, unemployment and a strain on public services.
Nigeria has become particularly outspoken on the issue, and tension was evident as high-ranking officials from Abuja and Pretoria met this week at the Nigerian ministry of foreign affairs.
As of Friday morning, the Lagos leg — which had been timed to coincide with Nigeria’s year-end concerts frenzy season known as “Detty December” — had been removed from the line-up on her website.
Representatives for Tyla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
South Africa, one of the continent’s most industrialised economies, has long been a magnet for both undocumented and documented immigrants.
Nigerians on social media had spoken their minds on the issue with majority of the comments strongly against Tyler showing up in Lagos.
The backlash intensified after social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), threatened to mobilise members of his “Ratel Movement” to stop the concert if it went ahead.
“There will be no Tyla concert in Nigeria. It is not happening. This is a warning to the organisers and the show promoters bringing Tyla to Nigeria. That show is not happening,” he said, arguing that the singer should not profit from Nigerian audiences while many Nigerians continued to face hostility in South Africa. With AFP reports