A star among the stars

At the Wits Digital Dome, Sjava reflects on 10 years of music by placing himself not above but among the stars that shaped his journey

- Lesego Chepape

Stellar performance: Last week, Jabulani Hadebe, known to the world as Sjava, chose this immersive, celestial space to introduce his latest body of work, InKanyezi NeZinkanyazi, translated as A Star Amongst the Stars. Photo: Supplied

(Supplied)

Jabulani Hadebe, known to the world as Sjava, chose this immersive, celestial space to introduce his latest body of work, iNkanyezi NeZinkanyezi, translated as A Star Amongst the Stars.

It was not a conventional album listening session. It was an experience. One that asked you not just to hear the music but to feel where it lives in the universe.

The dome came alive with visualisations of stars, planets, galaxies and black holes. Vast cosmic bodies floating endlessly, colliding gently, existing in quiet harmony.

As the visuals expanded above us, something shifted in the room.

For a moment, everyone felt suspended. Weightless. Like a star among other stars.

Perhaps that was the point.

Sjava did not immediately claim the centre of the room. Instead, he made his way to the back of the auditorium. It felt deliberate. Almost symbolic. He allowed the audience the chance to experience the music without constantly looking at him, the star of the show, choosing instead to let the moment, the sound and the visuals take the lead.

In that gesture alone, the thesis of the album revealed itself.

Here was an artist comfortable enough in his own gravity to step aside and let others shine.