A star among the stars

Black holes come from Einstein’s 1915 Theory of General Relativity. Nasa explains them as “among the most mysterious cosmic objects, much studied but not fully understood”. “These objects aren’t really holes.

They’re huge concentrations of matter packed into very tiny spaces. A black hole is so dense that gravity just beneath its surface, the event horizon, is strong enough that nothing — not even light — can escape.” That is a mouthful. Almost overwhelming.

But it is also poetic in a way science often forgets to admit. A force so powerful it bends time, light and matter. Something unseen, yet deeply felt.

[paywall]

Last week, inside the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome, the idea took on a new meaning. Jabulani Hadebe, known to the world as Sjava, chose this immersive, celestial space to introduce his latest body of work,iNkanyeziNeZinkanyezi, translated asA 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. 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.

[/paywall]