Tsidii Le Loka is an actress, vocalist, and composer originally from South Africa and The Kingdom of Lesotho. She is best known for creating the role of Rafiki in the original Broadway

Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

 production of Disney's stage musical, The Lion King

The Lion King (musical)

The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well...

.

Theatre

Prior to coming to the United States, The Star Newspaper named Tsidii, at the age of 18, one of the most promising artists in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. Her concert career performances, festivals, international tours, and recordings include a roster of world-class stars such as Sting, Elton John, Madonna, Harry Belafonte

Harry Belafonte

Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...

, Miriam Makeba

Miriam Makeba

Miriam Makeba , nicknamed Mama Africa, was a Grammy Award winning South African singer and civil rights activist....

, Dionne Warwick, Youssou N'Dour, Roberta Flack

Roberta Flack

Roberta Flack is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is notable for jazz, soul, R&B, and folk music...

, Max Roach and especially Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a male choral group from South Africa that sings in the vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They rose to worldwide prominence as a result of singing with Paul Simon on his album, Graceland and have won multiple awards, including three Grammy Awards...

. Tsidii collaborated and performed as a guest star in various productions including "Riverdance

Riverdance

Riverdance is a theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish stepdancing, notable for its rapid leg movements while body and arms are kept largely stationary. It originated as an interval performance during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, a moment that is still considered a significant...

" on Broadway, in which she shared the stage with Irish star Brian Kennedy; and in "Canciones Antes una Guerra / Songs Before the War" (Maria Pages' Flamenco Company ) which toured Spain and Italy and won best show of the Seville Bi-Centinial Flamenco Festival (XIII Bienal De Flamenco de Sevilla). With the invitation of her now-deceased mentor Anneline Malebo (former lead singer of "South Africa's Supremes", the female trio JOY), Tsidii started her career as a member of the newly formed top South African Trio named "Shadiii" with Anneline Malebo and Faith Kekana..

In 1998, Tsidii originated the role of Rafiki in the first Broadway cast of The Lion King, produced by Disney and directed by Julie Taymor

Julie Taymor

Julie Taymor is an American director of theater, opera and film. Taymor's work has received many accolades from critics, and she has earned two Tony Awards out of four nominations, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design, an Emmy Award and an Academy Award nomination for Original Song...

. For her performance, Tsidii received the Drama Desk Award

Drama Desk Award

The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...

, Drama League Award

Drama League Award

The Drama League Awards, created in 1935, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing...

 and Outer Critics Circle Award

Outer Critics Circle Award

The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...

 for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, and garnered a Tony Award

Tony Award

The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...

 nomination as well. Tsidii was the only performer in The Lion King to be also involved in the creative process of the musical. Her composition, "Rafiki Mourns", is included in the Grammy Award

Grammy Award

A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

-winning album of The Lion King. She has also been awarded the prestigious Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement in Musical Theatre from The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters (the first woman of Southern African original to receive this award). Tsidii won the highest number of top industry awards than any performer in the musical (The Lion King); and was the only lead performer in the original cast born in Africa in what critic Frank Langford calls “one of the most impressive debut in Broadway history”.

Other work

Tsidii's film and TV credits includes lead roles in two Stephen King

Stephen King

Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...

 made-for-television movies, Rose Red and The Diary Of Ellen Rimbauer (Stephen King and Ridley Pearson), and Law And Order. Her television special "Caught In The Act" on WGBY won the Iris Award for best local program. The television special Tsidii Le Loka In Concert aired on TBS and was re-aired several times by popular demand. She was the only performer invited to perform at Dr Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...

's first International Press Conference in Johannesburg after his release from prison. Tsidii holds two degrees: a BA in Economics and a BA in Music (both Magna Cum Laude / honors from The University Of Massachusetts, Amherst)and a Diploma in Speech and Drama from The Trinity College of Music, London.

Family history

On her maternal side Tsidii is a South African princess as she is a descendant of Langalibalele

Langalibalele

Langalibalele , also known as Mtetwa, was king of the amaHlubi, a bantu tribe in what is the modern-day province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He was born on the eve of the arrival of European settlers in the province. During the diamond rush, many of his young men worked on the mines in...

 a 19th century amaHlubi king.

Albums

• Here's To The Night, original CD(featuring Tsidii)
• The Lion King On Broadway, original cast(featuring Tsidii, Heather Headley, Jason Raize, Sam Wright and company)
• Yusef Lateef, Heart Vision (featuring Tsidii and Neenna Freelon)
• Bob Beldon, When Doves Cry (featuring Tsidii, Casandra Wilson, Fareed Haque and others)
• Riverdance On Broadway (featuring Tsidii, Brian Kennedy and Riverdance company)
• Tsidii Le Loka, Here's To The Night (featuring Tsidii)
• Shadiii, Livin It Up (featuring Tsidii, Anneline Malebo, Faith Kekana)
• Shadiii, Last Chance (featuring Tsidii, Anneline Malebo, Faith Kekana)