Tiwa Savage’s comments on Tyla’s race issue rub Mzansi the wrong way

by Nomonde Simelane

Nigerian songstress Tiwa Savage has emerged as South Africa’s public enemy after she took to The Breakfast Club with Charlamagne tha God and company to giver her two cents on Tyla doubling down on her identity.

South Africans have proven that they will go to every and any extent to protect Tyla from any hater who dares to come at her sideways. It is no secret that the youngster is not the most popular among the American audience, which dates back to the controversy regarding her identity.

As a South African, the Mr media hit-maker has always been loud and proud of her roots, and being part of the coloured community. However, due to their complicated history, Tyla referring to herself as coloured rubbed them off the wrong way, and so the diaspora wars ensued.

Since then, various American media platforms has chimed in on the matter, with a majority labelling Tyla as an ‘uppity’ African, and revealing that her referring to herself as a coloured was disrespectful to American culture, and that she would need to assimilate and rather identify as black if she wanted any kind of success.

The most recent Breakfast Club episode has quickly gone viral after a clip of Nigerian artist Tiwa Savage revealed her opinion regarding Tyla standing proud of her coloured identity, despite the pushback she receives in return. Her response has left a bitter taste in the mouths of South African netizens, as she went to the extent of apologising on Tyla’s behalf, essentially for failing to read the room.

Users have rallied behind Tyla to condemn Tiwa for her utterances, citing that her lack of knowledge and experience of South African culture meant that she had no right to speak on the matter. Furthermore, these users have called the hosts of The Breakfast Club out for being complicit and enabling of Tyla’s bullying.

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