The 'Africans Unite' Concert Against Xenophobia Has Been Cancelled

Last week, a number of South African artists under the representation of the Tshwane Entertainment Collective, made it known that they were against Burna Boy performing at the "Africans Unite" concert taking place on November 23rd. The concert was supposed to encourage unity among Africans in the fight against xenophobia with part of the proceeds being donated to the victims of South Africa's most recent xenophobic violence. However, following Burna Boy's heated Twitter exchange with rapper AKAduring those xenophobic attacks, South African artists have been gunning for him to be banned from performing in the country. According to TimesLIVE, Burna Boy has withdrawn from the concert which has now been cancelled altogether.

In a joint statement released by the organizers of the concert, Phambili Media and Play Network Africa, they say the following:

"The decision to cancel the Africans Unite Concert comes after the call from the Tshwane Entertainment Collective to boycott the Africans Unite concert in Tshwane. With 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."

Both organizers go on to say that they still stand behind their decision to include Burna Boy in the lineup. "As one of the artists at the center stage of the xenophobic attacks uproar, we saw fit to engage him to be a part of the Africans Unite campaign that aims to ultimately change the current negative narrative to that of solidarity and unity." On a rather melancholic note, they end off by saying, "It seems we have failed in this regard."

Read: Sho Madjozi Accuses Organizers of 'Africans Unite' of Using Xenophobia as a 'Marketing Ploy'

Those who had already purchased tickets for the concert are eligible for a refund from their respective ticket merchants. Understandably so, many fans are bummed by the cancellation while others feel quite the opposite. Take a look at some of their responses on social media below: