Women for Change, a South African women rights interest group, has called on festival organisers, Big Concerts and the Department of Home Affairs to reconsider their position in allowing Grammy award-winning singer Chris Brown to perform in Johannesburg on December 14 and 15.
Last week, the multi-talented singer and dancer announced his long-awaited return to South Africa for a two-day performance at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
With Chris Brown’s performance coinciding with the country’s commemoration of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, Women for Change said this event was a direct insult to the millions of women and girls affected by violence in South Africa and worldwide.
The sold-out affair marks Chris Brown’s first performance in the country in nearly a decade.
More than 10 000 people have signed an online petition calling for the cancellation of the American R&B star.
“Chris Brown has a well-documented history of violence towards several women. In 2009, he was convicted of brutally assaulting his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, a case that sparked global outrage.
“Despite his conviction, his troubling behaviour has continued, with multiple accusations of violence against other women, with ‘Quiet on Set’ producers announce the ‘Chris Brown: A History of Violence’ documentary, which will premiere this October,” the advocacy group said.
It said the country, gripped by widespread GBV scourge, could ill-afford to welcome a personality as flawed as Chris Brown who on February 8 2009, reportedly assaulted his then-girlfriend and fellow music star, Rihanna, in a car.
“South Africa is in the midst of a GBV crisis, where femicide rates are five times higher than the global average. Many women and children live in constant fear, and the scars of violence run deep.
“Allowing a man with such a history of violence to perform in South Africa, a country grappling with one of the highest rates of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) in the world, sends a harmful and dangerous message. Instead of glorifying individuals with a history of abuse, we must be empowering and supporting survivors,” it said.
Women for Change added that it was concerned that the Department of Home Affairs has granted Chris Brown a visa despite his past transgressions.
Bulelwa Adonis, Women For Change spokesperson speaking on Newzroom Afrika on Sunday, addressed the backlash the group has received.
Adonis said the group doesn’t practice selective activism and has one mandate - which is to not support violent people.
“In this case, the fact that he obtained a visa to our country and the looseness in our system to allow him the accessibility to us. Considering how dire this pandemic is in our country, it is distressing and disheartening, to say the least.”
Additional reporting by Oluthando Keteyi
The Star
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