Nigerian Star Kanayo O. Kanayo Used His AMVCA Speech To Come For SA, Mzansi Is Responding With Receipts!

Kanayo O. Kanayo — the man whose Nollywood roles have had us sleeping with one eye open since the early 2000s, terrorised our dreams with his ritual roles for decades, — took a break from his on-screen rituals to collect his well deserved Industry Merit Award at the AMVCAs on 9 May.

We were ready to celebrate him, we really were! But then he opened his mouth and South Africa became the topic and Mzansi has had a lot to say ever since!

Kanayo O. Kanayo’s AMVCA Acceptance Speech 

So here is exactly what happened. The 12th Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards were hosted in Nigeria on Saturday 9 May 2026 and the atmosphere was everything — glamour, celebration, African excellence on full display!

Kanayo took to the stage alongside veteran actress Sola Sobowale to receive the Industry Merit Award — a lifetime achievement recognition that honestly was long overdue for both of them and nobody was arguing with that!

But then came the speech. And the speech had a detour. A very South African detour!
“I’m not happy about what’s going on in South Africa today. Let us lend our voices against the xenophobic attacks on every African. We are not happy. As Africans, we cannot continue running from Africa,” he said, calm and collected, into that microphone on that international stage!

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And just like that the celebration became a whole debate and South Africa’s timeline went from zero to one hundred before the applause even died down!

South Africa Responds To Kanayo O. Kanayo

Iyoh, because Mzansi did not come to be called out on international television by the man who has ritually sacrificed half of Lagos on screen — and the responses came fast, sharp and completely unfiltered!

The overwhelming feeling in the comments was one very simple question — sir, have you taken a good long look at what is happening in your own country recently? And people were not asking nicely!

@jshimange set the tone immediately: “Africa, South Africa, and the international community are equally disheartened by Nigeria’s poor governance, which has evolved into a humanitarian crisis that cannot continue to be ignored.” The way this comment arrived fully researched and ready for debate — we respect the preparation!

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@osmaseko kept it short and to the point: “He should have addressed this horror happening in his own backyard.” No elaboration, no explanation, no apology — just the comment standing firmly on its own two feet!

@Linghe_Xing asked what everyone was thinking: “When will they talk about their countries’ problems publicly like this, I wonder 💭🚮”

@HAVE_A_THEORY came with the frustration fully loaded: “Why are they always silent on the horrible things Nigerians are doing in our country and all over the world. They are always silent when other nations get rid of Nigerians, but SA must be bullied!”

@Driza84 however flipped the script and came for South African celebrities in the same breath: “And South African Celebrities are quiet instead of enlightening their many followers around the globe that South Africans are not Xenophobic. Use their platforms to educate, share stats and facts 🚮”

And @MrorMsdrunkard brought up Boko Haram and the entire thread went quiet for a second before erupting again: “What about Boko Haram? They are failing to address real issues that are affecting their country.” Because if you are going to stand on an international stage and point fingers, Mzansi expects those same fingers to point in every direction including homeward!

 

Kanayo O. Kanayo is a legend of African cinema and his award was thoroughly deserved. But his speech has opened a conversation that is much bigger than one acceptance speech and Mzansi is not finished talking yet!