Tsidii Le Loka

Tsidii Le Loka-Lupindo is an actress, vocalist, and composer born on April 3, 1968, in Lesotho. She is best known for originating the role of Rafiki in the first Broadway production of Disney's The Lion King, directed by Julie Taymor. Le Loka speaks five languages: English, Sesotho, Swahili, Zulu, and Xhosa.

Le Loka was the third of four children born to a professor of health education and a professor of history and literature. Her mother is from Transkei and her father from Lesotho, with at least one side of the family descending from the Zulu. She attended one of the first racially integrated private schools in Lesotho in the early 1970s. At age 16, she relocated to Johannesburg, South Africa to audition for a singing group, and subsequently performed with the group South of Sahara, where she was mentored by Anneline Malebo, a former member of Joy. Le Loka, Malebo, and Faith Shadi Kekana then formed the group Shadiii, releasing a maxi single titled "Yes I'm Gonna Give It Up" in 1985, produced by Sizwe Zako. Before leaving South Africa, she also worked as a cabaret artist in Johannesburg.

In 1991, Le Loka moved to the United States and enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she studied Economics and Music. During her time there, she performed for Desmond Tutu, toured briefly with Harry Belafonte, and recorded music with faculty members and jazz musicians Max Roach and Yusef Lateef. She left the university in July 1996, one credit short of a degree, to take the role of Rafiki in The Lion King. She later returned to complete her degree, graduating magna cum laude. She also took courses at Berklee College of Music and earned a diploma in Speech and Drama from Trinity College of Music in London.

Le Loka auditioned for the role of Rafiki with "Congo," an adaptation of a Tanzanian folk song originally sung by Miriam Makeba. After being cast, she rehearsed in Minnesota before the production moved to New York City, where The Lion King opened in 1997. She was the only cast member to write and compose an original piece for the musical, contributing "Rafiki Mourns." Her performance earned her the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical in 1998, the Drama League Award, and the Outer Critics Circle Award in the same category, as well as a Tony Award nomination. Le Loka departed the cast in 1998 and was replaced by South African singer Thuli Dumakude.

In 1999, Le Loka played Bloody Mary in South Pacific at the Dallas Theater Center, a role for which she received a Leon Rabin Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. The following year, she appeared as a guest performer in the Broadway production of Riverdance, sharing the stage with Irish singer Brian Kennedy. On May 25, 2000, she received the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement in Musical Theatre from the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters, becoming the first woman of Southern African origin to receive that honor.

Beyond the stage, Le Loka's screen credits include the made-for-television films Stephen King's Rose Red and The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer, as well as an appearance on Law & Order. Her television special "Caught In The Act," broadcast on WGBY, won an Iris Award for best local program, and a concert special titled Tsidii Le Loka In Concert aired on TBS. She was also invited to perform at Nelson Mandela's first International Press Conference in Johannesburg following his release from prison. In 2004, she released an album titled Here's to the Night. She has additionally performed in "Canciones Antes una Guerra / Songs Before the War" with Maria Pagés' flamenco company. In 2018, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed September 26th as Tsidii Le Loka Day in recognition of her work as an artist and humanitarian.