In South Africa, the announcement of two Chris Brown concerts planned for December 2024 provokes mixed reactions. If thousands of fans quickly bought tickets, an online protest campaign was organized at the same time to demand the cancellation of these events.
The controversy concerns the accusations of violence and sexual assault to which the artist has been subjected over the years, facts which are particularly worrying in a country marked by a high rate of femicide and violence against women.
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The organization “Women for Change” has launched a petition, already signed by nearly 20,000 people, demanding that promoters cancel the concerts and that the government refuse to grant Chris Brown a visa. For this association, his arrival is seen as a provocation in the face of the millions of women affected by violence in South Africa and around the world. Countries like the United Kingdom and Australia have taken similar steps in the past by refusing to host it.
However, some admirers of the singer denounce what they call “cancel culture”, a phenomenon where public figures are sidelined because of their past behavior. Chris Brown, regularly accused of violence, has been at the center of several legal cases. In 2009, he was convicted of physically assaulting singer Rihanna, then his girlfriend. More recently, in 2017, he was given a restraining order after accusations of harassment by another ex-partner. A documentary is also expected by the end of the month in the United States, which will return to these various accusations of domestic violence.
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This situation once again illustrates the growing tension between the right to rehabilitation and the condemnation of acts of violence, particularly in the context of violence against women in South Africa.
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