Sheela Langeberg

Birth Place: Kilimanjaro, North Eastern Tanzania.

Position: An artist, who tells and writes stories, performs in the theatre and she also sings. Some of her work is on display. Some of her work has been reviewed by many and below is one of them.

Book Review by the Advertiser’s Senior Editor: Samela Harris

She is little Masai girl, with a series dream agenda – which will be achieved through the wonderful medium of a song and dance.

She is a smart Sheela sort of a girl. A Sheela sort of a girl is one with immutable interior determination.

This is what has fuelled Sheela, an unwavering spirit to connect with her Australian world and share a cultural heritage – and the cultural issues of Africa. She also has the charm and sheer chutzpah to sell it and herself. We of the media not only know her well through the years, but we are extremely fond of her. One cannot say this of all theatre people, you know. They can be very self-seeking. But Sheela never sought just for Sheela – she had more to offer.

Sheela is Tanzanian. She is Tanzanian deep down to the core. But she is a world citizen – she has lived and studied and performed in a daunting array of countries – Sweden, Canada, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, India, Japan, Finland, the USA...

She has delivered a particularly potent and poignant perspective of Tanzanian life – particularly that of the female of the species. While wonderful music and dance emanate from that culture, there are also some difficult negatives, particularly for the female of the species.

Sheela has never been afraid to portray them. Indeed, she is the only reason we know about such things. She has been our message – these many long years. Not just a sweetie citizen – but a prolific writer and performer. She has turned out about more than 20 plays.

Ndito is an early one. That Masai girl has been around for almost 20 years.

Sheela is blessed in being beautiful on the outside as well as on the inside – which is a great advantage in the performing arts. Not to mention her versatility – she sings, dances, choreographs, acts...

And in so doing, not only has she presented aspects of African cultural life to which we would never otherwise have been exposed but also she has been an ambassador for Tanzania and Africa.

When I find myself smiling at an African refugee in the street – I realize that I am smiling at them because of Sheela. Our new Africans probably have no idea how lucky that are to have had the population wooed and won by Sheela Langeberg – who has, heretofore, been part of a small elite African community in Adelaide.

So as she is beloved of Adelaideans over many, many years and generations, so now she should be basking in the appreciation of a new element of the population –

It is because of her, that we understand and welcome them – these new Africans.

And we can already do their dances, because Sheela has been teaching us for decades.