Organisers of the ‘African’s Unite’concert have cancelled the concert because “the safety of all artists and attendees cannot be guaranteed.”
This was made known in a joint statement released by the organisers of the concert, Phambili Media and Play Network Africa. The concert was aimed at encouraging unity among Africans in the fight against xenophobia and part of it proceeds to be donated to victims of the recent attacks.
According to the statement, the decision to cancel the concert is not unconnected to the decision of the Tshwane group, who have kicked against Burna Boy’s inclusion in the line up for the concert.
“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, artistes and crew comes first,” the statement partly reads.
South African news platform, TimesLive, reported that Burna Boy has withdrawn from the concert after talks between the organisers and his
management team.
The organisers, however, explained their decision to include Burna Boy in the concert, saiyng: “As one of the artists at the center.