Nigeria: South African Singer Tyla Cancels Lagos Performance Amid Xenophobia Backlash

What the report says

South African singer Tyla has removed Lagos from the schedule of her upcoming APop world tour after online criticism in Nigeria, according to Vanguard’s report carried by AllAfrica. The backlash came amid renewed anger over reports of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa. Tyla had first announced the tour on Monday, with Lagos listed as a December 22 stop alongside dates in Europe, North America and South Africa.

The report said the Lagos concert triggered heated discussion on Nigerian social media, where some users argued against staging the show while tensions over treatment of Nigerians in South Africa remain high. Others said entertainers should not be pulled into political disputes. Several public figures also joined the debate, including media personality Do2dtun and activist Omoyele Sowore, who urged critics to focus on political leaders rather than the artist.

Vanguard said Tyla and her management had not publicly commented on the reaction. However, the Lagos date no longer appeared on the official ticketing platform checked by the newspaper, leaving the updated schedule to show only the remaining international dates and two South African stops in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The report did not say whether the Lagos show was permanently cancelled or only postponed, but the change underscores how South Africa-Nigeria tensions can spill into cultural events.