Law Firm Opposes Calls To Boycott Tyla’s Lagos Concert Over Xenophobia

A legal firm, DACO LP Africa, has urged Nigerians not to boycott South African Grammy-winning singer Tyla’s planned concert in Lagos over renewed xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.

The firm said while public outrage over the killings and attacks on Nigerians in South Africa was justified, directing that anger at the singer was misplaced, insisting that governments—not individual artistes—should be held accountable.

Tyla is scheduled to perform in Lagos on December 22, 2026, as part of her A*POP World Tour.

In a statement signed by its Managing Partner, Damilare Adenola, DACO LP Africa said the South African artiste has a right to perform and earn a living from her profession, arguing that an individual should not be blamed for the actions of a government solely because they share the same nationality.

“Rights are not conditional on silence. Both Nigeria and South Africa are state parties to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Banjul Charter). Article 9 guarantees freedom of expression and information. Article 15 guarantees the right to work under equitable conditions.

“Tyla, as an individual, has the right to perform, earn a livelihood from her art, and engage commercially across Africa. Those rights do not cease because her government has failed to protect foreign nationals within its borders,” the statement read.

Adenola argued that no legal principle requires private citizens to publicly condemn the actions of their governments before exercising their economic rights.

“A person is not culpable for the acts of her government simply by virtue of sharing a nationality. To hold Tyla responsible for xenophobic violence she did not commit, endorse or encourage is to apply collective guilt,” he said.

The firm added that accountability should be based on evidence, noting that its position would change if there was proof that Tyla personally participated in, endorsed or benefited from attacks on Nigerians or other African nationals.

DACO LP Africa also described the planned concert as a reflection of African integration, saying cultural exchanges should not become casualties of diplomatic or political failures.

“A South African artist performing in Lagos is not a provocation. It is continental integration in practice. It is the African creative economy doing what governments have consistently failed to do: binding this continent together through culture,” the statement added.

The firm noted that Nigerian artistes, including Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido and Asake, regularly perform in South Africa and other African countries, arguing that similar opportunities should be available to artistes from across the continent.

It called on the South African Government to take decisive steps to end xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African migrants, while urging the Nigerian Government to strengthen diplomatic efforts and protection mechanisms for its citizens abroad.

“The South African Government must be held to account for its repeated failure to protect Nigerian and other African migrants living lawfully within its borders.

“The Nigerian Government has a sovereign duty to protect its citizens abroad through rigorous diplomatic engagement, bilateral protection frameworks, and formal consequences at the level of the African Union and ECOWAS where diplomacy fails,” the statement read.

The firm added that while Tyla and her management could voluntarily acknowledge Nigerians’ concerns as a gesture of African solidarity, such a statement should not be made a condition for her performance.

“Let Tyla perform in Lagos on 22 December 2026. And while she performs, let Nigerians direct their legitimate anger at the governments—Nigerian and South African alike—that hold the power to stop these deaths,” the statement concluded.