I’m going to apologise for this pun in advance but it looks like Pharrell Williams’ upcoming tour to South Africa might not be all that ‘happy’. Hey, I warned you.

September will see the music superstar touch down on our shores but pro-Palestinian protesters have promised him a rather cold reception. Their anger stems from the promotional deal Williams has with Woolworths, a retailer with trade links to Israel.

The folks making the most noise are those from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel (BDS) movement, with this below from TimesLive:

He is about to face the biggest backlash any artist has faced in South Africa in over 30 years, since the days of apartheid,” said Braam Hanekom, a BDS South Africa board member.

“He is walking into a very angry, unhappy environment because he has chosen to walk with Woolworths,” Hanekom told Reuters after the City of Cape Town denied an application by thousands to protest at Pharrell’s first concert on Sept. 21.

He said protesters could block roads on concert nights, potentially delaying proceedings, or even rally inside venues.

His first concert will take place at Grand West Casino in Cape Town, the venue already stating that they will allow no protests on their property. His second concert will take place in Jozi.

Whilst Pharrell’s representatives have yet to comment on the matter Woolworths have spoken:

Woolworths said in a statement that it did not source produce from the occupied territories, less than 0.1 percent of its food came from Israel and that it clearly labelled every product’s country of origin.

Who knows, maybe the musician will ‘get lucky’ and the BDS’s bark will be worse than their bite. I’ll let myself out.

[source:timeslive]