In an ironic twist, the anti-xenophobia concert Africans Unite has been cancelled following a huge public outcry over the inclusion of Nigerian superstar Burna Boy in the line-up.
On Wednesday morning organisers Phambili Media confirmed that after discussions with Burna Boy’s management they took a decision to cancel his involvement in the concert.
As a consequence, both legs of the concert that were scheduled for Hillcrest Quarry, Cape Town, on November 23 and Sun Arena, Pretoria, November 24 have been cancelled.
An official media statement was released by Phambili Media saying “the increasing threats of violence from other unfortunate segments of the public and without any government intervention, Phambili Media and Play Network Africa were prompted to take the threats and warnings seriously, as the safety of all artists and attendees could not be guaranteed. We then decided to cancel the concert. The safety of all attendees, artists and crew comes first.”
The organisers have stated that anyone who bought tickets will be able to receive a full refund.
This set of circumstances was brought about by a campaign to boycott the concert after Tshwane Entertainment Collective penned an open letter to the Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, expressing their dissatisfaction with the inclusion of Burna Boy.
In September of this year, Burna boy went on a Twitter rant during the height of the xenophobic attacks in South Africa vowing to never set foot here.
Read the full statement right here.
Official statement regarding the cancellation of the #AfricansUniteConcert. pic.twitter.com/imZTlnqztP
— Phambili Media SA (@PhambiliMediaSA) November 20, 2019
