UJ Arts & Culture and Muneyi join forces for an intimate and historic evening of sound, story and ceremonial return.

This June, folk, indigenous spirituality, memory, and jazz sensibility converge in what promises to be a deeply personal and landmark concert experience.

Rooted in Tshivenda oral tradition and woven through with contemporary folk and jazz influences, Shumela Venda weaves together memory, ancestry and African interiority into a performance that is as personal as it is expansive. For 90 minutes, audiences will move through new material and catalogue works, through moments of stillness and sonic experimentation, through the emotional landscape of an artist who has earned every note.

“This is not simply an album launch,” says Muneyi. “It is a return to the institution that witnessed my becoming. A conversation between who I was, who I became, and the people and spaces that held me through that journey.” The University of Johannesburg has witnessed Muneyi’s journey from its earliest chapters. From placing third in So You Think You Can Sing UJ in 2016, to leading the cast of Choir Boy in 2018, UJ Arts & Culture’s acclaimed adaptation of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play that went on to win a Standard Bank Fringe Award at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda.

From his formative time with the UJ Choir, to sharing stages with Nduduzo Makhathini and Zoë Modiga at the UJ Weekend of Jazz, the university has been present at every turn. Now, in 2026, Muneyi returns as the sole storyteller of the evening, carrying with him a decade of artistic evolution, spiritual inquiry, and sonic fearlessness.

Date: Saturday, 20 June 2026

Tickets: R250 – R450

Doors open at 18:30

Location: Keorapetse William Kgositsile Theatre Auckland Park Kingsway Campus, UJ Arts Centre

Tickets Available on Quicket: https://www.quicket.co.za/events/375751-shumela-venda#/

For UJ Arts & Culture, Shumela Venda affirms the department’s commitment to nurturing artists across every stage of their development, from the student who first steps onto a campus stage, to the fully realised artist who returns to close one chapter and open the next. This collaboration speaks to UJ Arts & Culture’s role in championing artistic ambition, developing meaningful partnerships across the arts landscape, and creating work that resonates with the communities it serves.

About UJ Arts and Culture

UJ Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (FADA) produces and presents world-class student and professional arts programmes aligned to the UJ vision of an international university of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. A robust range of arts platforms are offered on all four UJ campuses for students, staff, alumni and the general public to experience and engage with emerging and established Pan-African and international artists drawn from the full spectrum of the arts.

In addition to UJ Arts & Culture, FADA (www.uj.ac.za/fada) offers programmes in eight creative disciplines, in Art, Design and Architecture, as well as playing home to the NRF SARChI Chair in South African Art & Visual Culture, and the Visual Identities in Art & Design Research Centre. The Faculty has a strong focus on sustainability and relevance, and engages actively with the dynamism, creativity and diversity of Johannesburg in imagining new approaches to art and design education.

About Muneyi

Muneyi is a South African singer-songwriter, composer, and multidisciplinary storyteller whose work explores memory, spirituality, language, and African interiority through sound. Known for weaving Tshivenda oral traditions with contemporary folk and jazz influences, Muneyi has become one of the country’s most compelling artistic voices. In 2025, he was named a Standard Bank Young Artist, one of South Africa’s highest honours for emerging artistic excellence.

Surprise Nkomo
surprisen@uj.ac.za
062 072 1482
http://wwwhttps://arts.uj.ac.za/whats-on/muneyi-returns-to-the-uj-arts-centre-for-shumela-venda-a-decade-long-homecoming-album-launch-and-closing-chapter-as-standard-bank-young-artist/