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Chris Brown’s concert in South Africa has drawn renewed attention to shocking levels of violence against women in the country, with campaigners claiming it sends the wrong message given his history of abuse. are.
The Grammy Award winner managed to sell out tickets at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium, Africa’s largest stadium with over 94,000 seats, in less than two hours. Demand was so high that a second date in December was added.
Despite the huge interest, the R’n’B star has experienced backlash from those who did not want to appear due to his violent past.
“When I saw the news that Chris Brown was coming to South Africa, I was shocked and extremely disappointed,” said Sabina Walter, executive director of South African women’s and children’s rights organization Women for Change. said.
The group has launched a petition to cancel the American artist's performance. It currently has over 20,000 signatures.
“This petition was started to send a strong message that we will not tolerate the celebration of individuals with a history of violence against women, especially in a country like South Africa,” Walter said.
South Africa has one of the highest rates of femicide and gender-based violence in the world.
A rape is reported approximately every 12 minutes in this country, and it is believed that many more rapes go unrecorded.
“When someone like Chris Brown is given a platform in a country where GBV is at crisis levels, it sends a harmful message that fame and power trump accountability,” Walters said.
The most well-known part of Chris Brown’s history of abuse is his domestic dispute with singer Rihanna in 2009.
Chris Brown, who was 19 at the time, pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to five years of probation, community service, and domestic violence counseling.
Although Rihanna forgave him and the two briefly dated again after the incident, Chris Brown has also been accused of assault by other women and men.
Women for Change says it wants to know how the Home Office can grant visas to “convicted abusers”.
For Walter, the decision is “about and indicative of the failure of the entire system.”
According to South African law, a criminal record can result in a visa being refused. However, there are exceptions to “just cause”, which are granted by the Secretary of State for the Home Office.
Chris Brown has previously been banned from entering countries such as the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, but has since continued to play in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.
But his South African fans are undaunted.
Many young women and girls live in fear of being raped (Getty Images)
Professor Mamokgeti Phakeng, former vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town, revealed on the X show that he will be attending Chris Brown’s concert.
“I completely oppose and condemn GBV. I believe those who perpetrate GBV should face the full force of the law, without exceptions or leniency.
“But just in case the message doesn’t get across, let me be clear: If Brown comes, I’m going to his concert. Those two are not mutually exclusive.
“To claim that enjoying a concert is consistent with all of an artist’s past actions is naive at best and intellectually dishonest at worst,” she says.
Professor Paken explained, “Music is bigger than the individual.”
She added that boycotting Chris Brown’s concert will not end GBV in South Africa.
“Just because we attend a concert, our moral stance against GBV does not magically disappear.”
This is not Chris Brown’s first concert in South Africa, but there is a lot of excitement among his fans.
One said on X: “Chris Brown coming to South Africa??…I’ll take a loan for the meet and greet.”
“Chris Brown, you don’t know us yet…but my wife and I are going to be those little fans in the stands singing and dancing to every jam!!!!” another said. said the person.
Ms Waters said she had even received threats because of the campaign against the US star.
“Chris Brown’s supporters seem ready to protect him at all costs,” she said.
“The criticism we are facing on the petition speaks volumes and, in fact, reveals a deep disconnect in how we view violence against women as a society.”
She said that too often people were willing to “excuse abuse” against celebrities they admired.
Selective assault is dangerous because it perpetuates the rape culture and high levels of violence that women face every day, Walters said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged that South Africa has a major problem with gender-based violence, and in August he called on the country’s men to take a stand.
“Our ultimate goal is to completely eliminate gender-based violence,” he said.
But this goal remains a long way off, and five years after calling for action to address the country’s “rape crisis,” little has changed.
This year alone, Women for Change has honored more than 200 women who have lost their lives to homicide.
“This fight is not just about this concert; it is about changing the narrative in South Africa, where abusers are held accountable and where violence against women will never be tolerated, ignored or forgotten.”
More South African articles from the BBC:
(Getty Images/BBC)
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