Just days after Grammy-winning South African pop star Tyla unveiled her highly anticipated 34-date world tour to support her newly released second studio album *A*POP*, one major stop has vanished from the official itinerary: Lagos, Nigeria. What began as a routine tour announcement has become entangled in escalating diplomatic and public tensions between Nigeria and South Africa, rooted in a recent surge of anti-migrant violence and xenophobic sentiment targeting foreign nationals in South Africa.
When Tyla first shared the full tour schedule on Monday following last week’s album drop, her official website listed Lagos alongside two South African dates in Johannesburg and Cape Town. But by Friday, an updated schedule posted to the site removed the Nigerian capital entirely, with no public explanation given for the last-minute change.
The removal comes amid growing public pressure in Nigeria for Tyla to cancel the Lagos show, triggered by the ongoing wave of xenophobic attacks that have specifically targeted Nigerians living in South Africa. Diplomatic relations between the two African nations have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks over the crisis: Nigeria and several other African countries have publicly criticized South Africa for failing to intervene effectively to protect foreign migrants. Large-scale protests in South Africa have called for the expulsion of all undocumented migrants, driving tens of thousands of foreign nationals – including hundreds of Nigerians – to flee the country on government-arranged repatriation flights.
While diplomatic leaders have attempted to de-escalate tensions, most recently with a high-level meeting of foreign affairs officials in Abuja, public anger has spilled into the cultural sphere. Earlier this week, Nigerian activists launched an online petition calling to bar Tyla from entering Nigeria until all xenophobic attacks against migrants end in South Africa. The petition has already gathered thousands of signatures. On Tyla’s social media channels, where the original full tour schedule listing Lagos remains visible, Nigerian fans and activists have repeatedly warned the 24-year-old artist against proceeding with the concert, condemning her for not publicly speaking out against the anti-migrant movement in her home country. As of Friday, Tyla has not issued any public comment on the controversy, and did not respond to a request for comment from the BBC.
Tyla is not the only high-profile South African cultural figure facing public backlash over their perceived silence on the xenophobia crisis. Former *Daily Show* host and South African comedian Trevor Noah has also drawn widespread criticism after headlining a promotional campaign for the Tourism Business Council of South Africa. The promotional video, shared across the organization’s social media platforms, was flooded with comments accusing Noah of promoting South African tourism while refusing to condemn the country’s growing anti-migrant hostility. Many commenters added public context to the video, framing South Africa as a fundamentally xenophobic nation that does not welcome foreign visitors or migrants.
South African government officials have pushed back against mounting international criticism. Authorities note that they have taken legal action against individuals engaged in vigilante violence connected to the anti-migrant protests, with more than 900 people arrested in connection with recent unrest. The government also asserts that it retains the sovereign right to regulate immigration and border control into the country, a position that has done little to ease cross-border tensions.