Chris Brown tour bruises GBV sensitivities

A woman involved in a campaign to boycott the upcoming Chris Brown concerts in South Africa because of his history of domestic violence says she has been threatened and bullied for her stance.

“I think the response towards our petition is quite telling to how people perceive gender based violence and femicide,” said Bulelwa Adonis.

“This has been the most intense reaction we’ve ever received.

“It’s got to a point where I can’t share my location any more and going out is not [a good idea] until the concert is over. This is quite sad, because we even got a message that said ‘every time you people mention Chris Brown, I’m going to beat my girlfriend’. We are astonished as an organisation that people will say these things.”

Adonis is the spokesperson for Women for Change, which was founded at the height of the #MeToo movement. Its petition to cancel Brown’s concerts has riled some of his fans.

The coming tour by the R&B sensation has divided South Africans. 

In 2009, Brown punched, choked and bit his then girlfriend, singer Rihanna, leaving her with facial injuries and in need of hospitalisation. Brown turned himself in to the police and later pleaded guilty to felony assault.

He has spent the past 14 years juggling reputational damage that saw him banned in Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Brown is scheduled to perform in Johannesburg on December 14 and 15. He last performed in South Africa in 2015.

Social media has been roiled by debate over whether Brown has any right to set foot on South African soil, but for Bertie Grobbelaar, CEO for Stadium Management South Africa, it is business as usual.

He said he and his team were “thrilled to once again collaborate” with Big Concerts International to bring Brown back for another performance.

“The overwhelming demand for this event confirms that Johannesburg is now recognised as a top location for global entertainment,” he said.

Grobbelaar said more than 7,000 tourists from 50 countries were coming to watch Brown’s concerts in South Africa.

Ahead of a concert tour by Brown in 2012, the late Kim Pillay-Constant, programme co-ordinator at Cape Town NGO New World Foundation, called the tour “a kick in the face” as South Africa had long battled with a high rate of femicide.

Pillay-Constant said Brown should only be allowed in the country if he showed remorse.

“New World Foundation is all for the safeguarding, protection and rights of women and children,” senior programme manager Audrey Jacobs said this week.

Kabelo Chabalala, the founder of the Young Men Movement, which works to empower boys, said many people did not understand what Brown had done wrong. 

“The regular South African has to learn how to not just listen to music but invest in finding out about the individuals they support,” he said.

Apart from the assault on Rihanna, Brown violated a restraining order, failed to complete a sentence of community service, attacked gay musician Frank Ocean and was involved in several assault cases that were settled out of court.

“We have a culture of consuming music but not consuming information on the artists who sing those songs. A shift can happen when we get to know the men and the women behind the music so that our reasons are more nuanced than being just about talent,” Chabalala said.

Chabalala, whose master's degree focused on black masculinity in telenovelas, said cancelling the concert would not help the fight against GBV. More activists and role players ought to focus on policies that defined what kind of artists should be allowed to perform in South Africa.

Adonis said South Africans should look beyond the festivities of the December period and ask themselves what kind of country they wanted to see themselves in.

Grobbelaar said: “While we respect the right of individuals to voice their opinions, our focus and contractual obligations remain on delivering world-class events in a secure and well-managed environment. We continue to operate with transparency and adherence to all regulatory frameworks, prioritising the safety and experience of all attendees.”