The announcement of Grammy-winning South African artist Tyla’s APOP World Tour stop in Lagos on 22 December 2026 has sparked calls for a boycott, rooted in legitimate anger over xenophobic violence against Nigerians in South Africa. While the pain and loss of lives driving this outrage are undeniable, Damilare Adenola & Co. (DACO) Africa issues this official public statement to address the critical legal, human rights, and continental integration issues at stake.
As legal practitioners committed to the rule of law and Pan-African development, our position is clear: holding an individual private citizen responsible for the structural failures of her state applies a principle of collective punishment, which is incompatible with international human rights law. Rights under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights—including the right to work and freedom of expression—are not conditional on political performance.
While we defend the artist’s right to perform, we maintain that true public accountability belongs at the doorstep of the South African and Nigerian governments, both of which retain the sovereign duty to safeguard the lives and dignity of African citizens.
The complete position of our firm, as signed by our Managing Partner, Damilare Adenola, is set out in the full public statement attached below.