Chris Brown: Why are we giving an abuser a platform?

Grammy award-winning artist Chris Brown has ignited the enthusiasm of fans by announcing concerts in South Africa later this year.

After his announcement, supporters have shared their excitement across social media platforms. Some joked that they were looking for things to sell so they could buy a ticket, while others predicted “OR Tambo Airport would be shut down” and “people would skip work and school”.

It seems these fans have forgotten or blatantly disregarded allegations against the musician, which went viral when they surfaced. 

Also read: Chris Brown in SA: Performance date and venue announced

Brown’s history of violence

The most notorious case of Brown’s violent outbursts was a physical altercation with then-girlfriend Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty in 2009.

Images of Fenty’s bruised face went viral, which led to widespread panic by the public as the dark reality of their relationship finally emerged. 

The ‘king of R&B’ was later charged with assault and making criminal threats. He pleaded guilty to a felony later that year and entered into a plea deal of community labour, five years of probation, and domestic violence counselling. 

In another incident, this time in 2016, the singer was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon following a standoff with police at his residency in Los Angeles. 

This occurred after a woman called emergency services claiming the musician had allegedly threatened her with a gun. No charges were filed after this incident. 

The following year, Brown’s ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran filed a restraining order against the artist for five years. The socialite alleged he made aggressive comments, including threats through their text messages. 

Additionally, Tran alleged the singer punched her in the stomach twice and pushed her down the stairs years prior. 

These incidents are just some examples of many alleged horrific abuses Brown has reportedly imposed on intimate partners, along with women who he had known for only a few hours. 

ALSO READ: Chris Brown is coming to South Africa

Gender-Based Violence in South Africa

Mzansi is arguably the most dangerous country to live in as a female, with international women’s rights organisation Womankind Worldwide reporting that a woman loses her life every four hours and the femicide rate is five times higher than the global average. 

Reporting on the second quarter crime statistics for 2023/24, former Police minister General Bheki Cele, noted the concerted effort that is required to alleviate this rampant issue within our country. 

“The scourge of violence against women and children in South Africa must be confronted equally by law enforcement, the whole of government and the whole of society, head on,” he said. 

According to Cele, 1 514 cases of attempted murder involving female victims were reported from the July to September period of 2023. 

Additionally, females were victims in 14 401 assault grievous bodily harm (GBH) incidents reported to the South African Police Service (Saps) during the reporting period.

So why would it be that a society battling to protect its women would celebrate and even “sell out” an abuser’s concert?

Glorifying abuse

We are inconsistent in who we “cancel” as a country.

The same social media feeds that said they were rushing to buy Chris Brown tickets were outraged by the alleged abuses of P.Diddy. A few years earlier, they were disgusted at the harm caused by R. Kelly.

Supporters, however, will defend Chris Brown with the argument of separating the art from the artist.

Where do we draw the distinction between which abuser to denounce and hold accountable and which to glorify and give a platform?