Nigerian Artist Tems Cancels Rwanda Show
On March 22, 2025, Tems, whose birth name is Temilade Openiyi, a well-known Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer, was scheduled to enthrall music lovers at BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda.
The Grammy-winning singer however said on Thursday, 30th January, that she decided to call off the forthcoming “Born in the Wild” world tour concert.
This was a result of Rwanda’s conflict with DRC over the M23 armed group, which seized control of the city of Goma this week in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Tems apologized on platform X (formerly Twitter) for promoting the show without knowing about the geopolitical tensions in the area.
“So I recently promoted my show in Rwanda without realising that there is ongoing conflict between Rwanda and Congo,” she tweeted.
“I never ever intend to be insensitive to real-world issues, and I sincerely apologize if this came across that way,” Tems added in her post.
“I simply had no idea this was going on. My heart goes out to those affected.”
The show was supposed to be a major stop on Tems’ global tour, which also included major African cities like Lagos, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Accra, and Addis Ababa.
This cancellation demonstrates the growing intersection of entertainment and politics, where musicians are expected to engage with global issues and cancel certain concerts due to human rights concerns.
The Rwanda and Congo Conflict
The M23 rebels’ daring attempts to increase their territory in the midst of years of instability led to the effective taking control of the crucial part of Goma, a significant urban city and humanitarian hub, on January 29, 2025.
The President of DRC, Felix Tshisekedi, called on the young people of his nation in his first public speech since the start of the M23 advances to “enlist massively in the army because you are the spearhead of our country.”
The M23’s takeover of the majority of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, represents a sharp uptick in violence in an area where several armed factions have been engaged in conflict for decades.
As its fighters advanced further in the mineral-rich east of the country, the Rwanda-backed armed group M23 promised Thursday to march on the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kinshasa.
Supported by allegations that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops are aiding the M23 rebels, analysts speculate that Rwanda is deploying this military force as part of its plan to protect its interests in the enormous mineral wealth of the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Cobalt and coltan, two essential components of contemporary technology, are among the region’s abundant natural resources, which are valued at an estimated $24 trillion.
Looking forward, the DRC administration will have to make difficult choices as they might be forced to engage in direct combat by Tshisekedi’s rhetoric.
This might lead to a wider regional conflict with Rwanda or facilitate negotiations with the M23 rebels to end the escalating crisis.
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