Of Tyla and the Country We Helped Save

A planned concert by South African artist Tyla in Lagos ignited a fierce debate, with some Nigerians calling for a boycott and others urging restraint. The controversy, however, has overshadowed a deeper, more painful question: How did South Africa, a nation that many Africans helped liberate from apartheid, become a persistent site of hostility towards fellow Africans? For many who remember the anti-apartheid struggle, the answer is etched in vivid memories of solidarity. Nigeria, in particular, provided significant support, including financial aid through the Southern Africa Relief Fund, scholarships, and diplomatic pressure. Universities, unions, and media organizations treated apartheid as an affront to African humanity, regardless of ethnicity or language. This history creates a bitter irony. South Africa, sustained by continental solidarity, now faces recurring violence against immigrants from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Somalia, Ethiopia, Congo, and Nigeria. While many South Africans condemn these attacks, the persistent nature of the violence is a profound tragedy. The article suggests that the attacks, often framed as protecting jobs or national identity, are a betrayal of the pan-African spirit that once supported the nation's liberation.

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Tyla is not the story. She is merely the latest excuse to revisit a painful question that Africa has postponed for far too long: how did the country that so many Africans helped to liberate become the continent’s most persistent theatre of anti-African hostility?