How the University of Johannesburg (UJ) African Insights Course Is Shaping Lolo Vandal’s Next Steps

When Lolo Vandal recently completed African Insights at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the experience felt less like a conclusion and more like an invitation. He left the course equipped with new concepts, texts, and questions, but has intentionally allowed a period of reflection before launching major projects.

That pause is purposeful: Lolo is absorbing what he learned, testing ideas privately, and preparing to translate classroom insights into meaningful artistic choices.

Reframing Africa Through Sound

The course reframed how he thinks about Africa’s scale and diversity. Unit work on the continent as an immense and changing space encouraged him to imagine albums as journeys across sonic geographies rather than attempts to pin down a single “African sound.”

Although he has not yet released work that fully realizes this approach, the idea now anchors his creative imagination and will guide future recordings and arrangements.

Ethics, History and Responsibility

Historical and political concepts from the course; colonialism, resistance and cultural renaissance-gave Lolo an ethical vocabulary for his music. He is taking care not to rush into projects that merely gesture at these themes; instead, he is ensuring that any use of samples, references, or narratives is responsible and informed.

This measured stance increases the likelihood that his future songs will balance personal storytelling with a thoughtful awareness of collective histories.

Language as a Creative Tool

Language study translated into new compositional tools that Lolo is exploring in private. Encouraged to appreciate linguistic diversity, he is experimenting with code-switching, vernacular phrasing, and the musical qualities of different tongues.

These experiments currently live in his sketchbook and rehearsal room rather than on public releases, but they point to a clear direction for work that will feel both local and transnational.

Building Meaningful Collaborations

Engagement with the voices of women, sexual minorities, refugees, and migrants reshaped Lolo’s intentions around collaboration. He has begun building relationships and seeking collaborators from underrepresented communities, prioritizing trust and shared creative ownership over quick visibility.

This groundwork is intentional: authentic inclusion takes time and Lolo is committed to doing it well rather than doing it fast.

A New Creative Process

Practically, completing African Insights changed Lolo’s process. He now begins projects with reading lists and conversations, treats rehearsals as forums for feedback, and tests ideas against ethical questions such as Whose story is this? Who benefits?

These practices are already shaping how he prepares and plans; the public payoff-albums, performances and collaborations that fully reflect the course’s influence will follow as he moves from reflection into action.

Looking Ahead

Completing the course at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) did not instantly transform Lolo’s discography, but it transformed his intentions and his toolkit. He stands at a threshold: informed, reflective, and ready to do more.

The conceptual clarity and ethical awareness he gained will guide his next creative moves, ensuring that when he does release new work it will be thoughtful, rooted, and committed to imagining dignified futures for the stories he tells.