What can South Africans learn from Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Performance
Sunday 08 February 2026 was the 60th anniversary of the Super Bowl, America's biggest annual sporting event.
American Football
Photo Credits Ziyaad Plaatjes
The Super Bowl is the end of the football season with the final of the National Football League (NFL) being played on the second Sunday of February in front of millions of fans worldwide.
It has been a tradition to have a halftime performance or concert if you may, for those to enjoy some entertainment at the stadium, and even for us who are watching at home. What started as local college and high school marching bands has now turned into a ceremony with famous singers, dancers, and musicians taking the stage on the field during the halftime break.
This year the controversial announcement of Puerto Rico born musician Bad Bunny as the halftime performer had US President Donald Trump and his supporters calling for a boycott. They went as far as planning an alternative MAGA (Make America Great Again) halftime concert which was scheduled at the same time as the Apple Music LX Super Bowl Halftime Show.
How does this effect us as South Africans?
Well, it doesn't really until you start seeing posts about culture, heritage, and symbolism being thrown around social media with connections to the Bad Bunny Super Bowl or Benito Super Bowl performance as some netizens are calling it.
These are words which us as South Africans know too well. In fact we have a whole day to celebrate these words annually on the 24 September, Heritage Day.
With all that has been happening with the immigration laws, ICE, and the current US government, as South Africans we can somehow relate.
Bad Bunny showed us through the perfectly choreographed performance that even if your President is against you, you can overcome anything.
As South Africans if we are not currently blaming our current government, we are blaming our previous government for whatever we can.
It might have only been a 13 minute performance but there was no blame, there was no backlash against the government, even though Bad Bunny was highly criticised by President Trump before the show.
The script was actually flipped, because while Trump and his supporters were creating divide, Bad Bunny had a message of love. While holding a football that read "Together We Are America" the jumbotron at the Levi's Stadium lit up with the words "The Only Thing More Powerful than Hate is Love."
This showing some resemblance to our national rugby team, the Springboks's message of "Stronger Together".
Through the show Bad Bunny showed us what the Latina community had to endure, the way they struggled, how they now run businesses, how even the smallest action of him waking up the child from the chair, was relatable to us as South Africans - as we were also once that child who had fell asleep during a family gathering or function.
Him giving his "younger self" the Grammy which he won for Album of the Year last week at the 68th Annual Awards Ceremony, becoming the first artist to win with a record sung entirely in Spanish, shows that if we believe in ourself we are capable of doing anything.
But I think the most important reminder or message was when he said God Bless America and named all the countries who make up the two continents to emphasize that America is not just the United States, but, Canada, Mexico, and all the South American countries including his birth country Puerto Rico - the flag which he carried around with him.
We as South Africans already have this national pride, and we are more than just Blacks, Coloureds, Indians, and Whites. We are such a diverse nation, with strong roots to the beginning of time - the Cradle of Humankind.
We know that we are Stronger Together, and whatever adversity we face we can overcome them collectively - Ubuntu.
Thank you to Bad Bunny, Roc Nation and the team behind the LX Super Bowl performance for inspiring us on a global stage.
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Ziyaad Plaatjes is the Co-Founder of iloveza.com & Let's Torque ZA, the Founder of the After Fajr Grind Academy, a Radio Co-Host for a youth focussed programme, Level Up, on Radio Islam International, previously a Radio Host for the longest running award-winning Motoring show in South Africa - Bumper2Bumper on Cii Radio, and a Brand South Africa Play Your Part Ambassador, who was named one of Mail & Guardian's Top 200 Young South Africans in the Arts, Entertainment, Film & Media Category.
He is a Bachelor of Commerce Honours graduate and has been running businesses since the age of 13. Ziyaad is a social media fundi and content creator, but has taken on many roles in various industries over the years. With his entrepreneurial skills and vast knowledge he assists individuals and businesses to grow and achieve their goals.
Find him at: Instagram: @ziyaad_86 / @ilovezacom / @letstorqueza / @b2bcii X: @ziyaad86 / @ilovezacom / @letstorqueza / @b2bcii Facebook: iloveza.com / Let's Torque ZA LinkedIn: Ziyaad Plaatjes / iloveza.com YouTube: iloveza.com SoundCloud: iloveza.com / Radio Islam International TikTok: @ilovezacom / @b2bcii Threads: @ilovezacom iono.fm: Bumper2Bumper Hashtags: #AfterFajrGrind #iloveza❤️🇿🇦 #LetsTorqueZA #LevelUp #B2BCii #WheresDaddyZA E-mail: ziyaad@iloveza.com
