The Mending Broken Hearts Tour is more than a concert series. It is a journey through the full arc of Manana’s career, from the raw vulnerability of his 2020 debut EP In the Beginning Was the End, through the tender longing of the 2022 EP But Could the Moments in Between, and culminating in the rich, healing soundscape of his 2024 debut album Our Broken Hearts Mend and extended 2025’s offering OBHM: Full Stop, the final chapter of his acclaimed romantic trilogy. Together, these projects trace the full emotional map of love: its beginning, its complexity and ultimately, its healing.

“This trilogy has always been about the journey,” says Manana. “Heartbreak, intense love, everything in between and finally, mending. This tour is for everyone who has carried a broken heart. We’re going to mend it together.”

In a deeply special moment for long-time fans, Manana will also perform a selection of songs he has not performed live in years and which he will perform for the very last time on this tour. These performances are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear the music that shaped Manana’s voice and marked the beginning of his story.

The aim of this tour is simple and profound: healing. Whether you’re navigating heartbreak, rediscovering love or simply in need of a space to feel, the Mending Broken Hearts Tour is your invitation.

Johannesburg: 18 April | John Kani Theatre, Market Theatre | 8pm | Tickets @Webtickets

Stay connected via @officialmanana across all platforms.

Our broken hearts will mend.

Through storytelling, music, and audience interaction, the piece introduces complex ideas in an age-appropriate and engaging way. Grounded in scientific research, the production challenges misconceptions about skin colour, emphasising that skin tone accounts for only 0.001% of human biological difference.

“Children are born with the innate ability to want to live, learn and adapt. If anyone can learn to look beyond small differences, to appreciate variety and value people for who they really are, it’s them,” says Dr Magona, on why the play continues to be an essential viewing for young audiences.

“Performances of Skin We Are In will allow more young people access to valuable research and ideas that already exist in the book,” she adds. “It can also inspire teachers to shift conversations around skin colour and help foster healthier attitudes.”

Gerard Bester, Head of The Windybrow Arts Centre, thanks Turquoise Harmony Institute and ASSITEJ South Africa for making sure this work reaches more audiences. “This project,” Bester continues, “will create public forums through theatre and post-performance workshops, engaging young audiences, teachers and parents, that will challenge social biases and discrimination, foster empathy and create a safe space for necessary dialogue on identity.”

For Turquoise Harmony Institute, the production forms part of its broader commitment to social cohesion and inclusive education across diverse communities. Through arts-based learning, the Institute seeks to  create safe spaces for young people to explore identity, challenge prejudice, and build empathy. The 2026 tour reflects the Institute’s ongoing work with schools to nurture dignity, mutual respect and shared humanity.

“ASSITEJ SA is proud to partner with the production in order to reach more schools and youth in Gauteng. As an organisation, our work ensures access to the arts, supports artists, empowers education and connects and advocates for the role of the arts in the lives of children and young people,” says Yvette Hardie, Director: ASSITEJ South Africa and Honorary President: ASSITEJ International Association for Theatre and Performing Arts for Children and Young People.

Hardie adds that the play will also be promoted as part of ASSITEJ SA’s Take A Child (Teen) to the Theatre Today campaign, which celebrates the World Day of Theatre for Young Audiences on 20 March each year.

Tshepo Madlingozi, Commissioner: Anti-racism, Education and Equality Office at SAHRC, says “Skin We Are In” speaks directly to the Commission’s key programmes, such as calling out for the phasing out of state racial classification, sensitivity and diversity training, Schools’ Model Code of Conduct as well as the Rights and Responsibility Campaign.

“All of the above are anchored on and inspired by our National Question Campaign, which ultimately seeks to proactively create a South Africa where everyone has a sense of affective and material belongingness. The creative arts have a pivotal role to play in this regard. As an independent constitutional body, we are humbled and honoured to join this wonderful initiative,” concludes Commissioner Madlingozi.

Don’t miss this insightful, thought-provoking piece that equips young audiences with the skills, vocabulary and psychology to embrace difference.

ENDS

The Windybrow Arts Centre is a division of The Market Theatre Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.

For media enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at The Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@markettheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641.

For reduced price block bookings and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development Specialist) at AnthonyE@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950.