Do African artists have to take a stand on political issues? DJ Black Coffee thinks not

Followers accused Black Coffee of ignoring recent calls to boycott Israel by the BDS South Africa (a registered South African NPO and PBO) as well as growing tension between South Africa’s government and Israel.

According to South Africa’s Science and Technology Minister, Naledi Pandor, South Africa intends to cut diplomatic ties with Israel in protest of its treatment of the Palestinian people. South Africa’s representative to the UN told the Human Rights Council that Israel is the “only state in the world that can be described as an apartheid state”. This came days after the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party called for government ministers to strengthen the country’s visa restrictions with Israel.

Black Coffee responded as follows,

Like everyone else I have rights and free will and no Black Coffee is not a political party…I work as an entertainer to feed my Family.
To sum it up….I’ll take a bullet for my Family.

— #PIECESOFME (@RealBlackCoffee) April 2, 2018

Which only caused further backlash as seen here:

Translation

I will take money whether blood money or not. I don’t care about humanity.

— slarge (@slargeliving) April 2, 2018

This is not about Rights or free will or whether you are a Political party or not. It’s about PRINCIPLES, ETHICS, MORALS, VALUES and CONSCIENCE. And YOU Black Coffee clearly have absolutely none of them. ZERO. https://t.co/ZztqOcK29n

— Superblack (@hostilenativ) April 2, 2018

You don’t have to be a politician or a human rights ambassador to boycott Apartheid Isreal and money must never be more important than morality and justice

— The Expropriator (@kizobantu) April 2, 2018

Black Coffee is oscillating between arrogance and feigned innocence. It’s actually pathetic that a grown person who has been so supported by people in this country, would choose to behave this way. Trash.

— You Don’t Even Watch Al Jazeera* ? (@PearlPillay) April 1, 2018

I have been a fan of Black Coffee’s music for years & years. His decision to play in Israel & then justify it by saying he needs to feed his family is an insult, more so now after Prime Minister Binyàmin Netanyahu has said African migrants are worse than terrorists.

— Siphumelele Zondi (@SZondi) April 2, 2018