Celebrity – Sibulele Gcilitshana

As actress, dancer and singer, Sibulele Gcilitshana, 40, looks forward to celebrating 20 years in the industry next year, she talks us through her new project, Grassroots, and her journey in the arts!

I nearly didn’t get the role of Funeka on Grassroots. The director came to me as we were about to shoot for the show and said when he pitched me for Funeka, people were against it. When he asked why, they claimed I was too young for the role. They had no doubt that I’d deliver, but my looking young was a huge concern for them. The director then told them that I was the same age as the character. I was almost re-casted [chuckles]. What I love about Funeka’s script is that it isn’t a onesided narrative — that if someone comes from the rural areas, then they aren’t educated or smart enough. Instead, even though Funeka hails from the rural areas of Centane in the Eastern Cape, born into a poor family, and is a widow, she’s unbelievably sharp. She knows what she wants, what she stands for, and will stop at nothing to chase her dreams – but morally so, without breaking the law.

People should watch Grassroots because it takes a closer look at what actually happens to children after being sent to so-called ‘Model C’ schools. We take note of the South Africa we are in now, and we know of the things that have happened in the Model C schools. Think back to the cricket coaches from St John’s. For the first time, we’re allowing ourselves to talk about the race issues that have plagued us since our ‘coming together’ as a nation. Until we’re no longer scared to sit and talk, only then will we find ways to move forward. Obviously, there’s a difference between someone who is rude and unaccepting of you. At the same time, there is space for someone who sits you down and explains some of the behaviours you may be unaware of. That dialogue is so important, and what better platform to place it than on our television screens. We know that from TV, it will be discussed on social media — therefore people will start engaging. The best way to start my day is through exercising. I’m back at it now as I’d been off it for a while due to work. I couldn’t really commit to it while shooting Grassroots because I wake up at 4 am, arrive on set between 5:00 and 5:30 am, and the camera has to roll at least after 7 am. Before that, there has been breakfast, wardrobe and make-up. By the time you wrap for the day, you’re just too tired and must rest because tomorrow is still another day of shooting.

I feel truly alive when I sing. From as early as grade 3, I was already in the choir. I was seven years old, but I still remember singing and how the music spoke to me. I went on to study music theory in grade 7, and it had just been introduced as a subject

at school — that is when the artistry in me started blossoming. I loved music in school so much that it was the only subject I aced. I know how to write music using notes, and I know the piano quite well because that was where I started. I then went on to write music exams with The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in London. They’d post my papers and I’d be invigilated and adjudicated alone. I obtained Music Theory certificates from grade 1 to 5 for. Music remains the basis of everything I do because, a lot of times, my work is soundtracked by a song.

I honestly believe that I was born to act and perform — I think that’s why it’s still the only job that I do. My gift just led me to where I am today. Nobody in my family is an artist – they are either teachers or lawyers. Even during career guidance, nobody spoke about dancing as a profession, or being a singer or actor. When I was applying for university, I came across a course called Musical Theatre, which involved singing, acting and dancing. The 17-year-old me was like, ‘I think I have these talents’. Mind you, I’d never been to a single acting or dance class in my life, but I just saw myself being able to do it. I went to an audition for the course at the then Pretoria Technikon, accompanied by my mother, and was accepted on the spot. I didn’t even know that the course was starting in two days. I’d never been to Pretoria or Johannesburg before, but my mother had to leave me in Pretoria. All I had was a change of clothes! The then HOD for the Dance and Musical Theatre Department, and now late Vicki Karras, believed in me so much that she not only helped my mom with my preparations for varsity, but she also paid for my meal card – and that’s how my journey started. I did consider quitting the arts just after finishing my degree. The first year out of university was rough. Even the idea of getting an agent was daunting. One needed to have access to a fax machine, so that when you finally did get an agent, they could fax you the brief for an audition. My briefs were faxed to my sister’s workplace, where I’d pick them up after taking a bus or taxi to get there. It was such a tedious process that I was constantly asking myself, ‘What is this? What have I gotten myself into?’ And I was the first person to choose this career path in my family, so I didn’t have a frame of reference. And even when I’d land a job, they were for just a week or a day, to a point that it started not making sense. However, thanks to talks with my agent and other professionals that I met at auditions, I slowly learned that this was the nature of the game. The biggest lesson was learning survive on an inconsistent income. Even though it would be a lump sum, I couldn’t get too excited and blow it. I had to stretch it out because I didn’t know when I’d land the next job.

There’s definitely an autobiography within me. One of the chapters would be called The Cult of Fame. There’d also be one called The Young Mother, and the third one would be about being just aware – being aware of who you are, the energy around you, and what your presence could be bringing into someone else’s life.

I dealt with a lot of things when I was still very young. I leaped into a lot of situations that some may have gradually been introduced to. And because of this, I skipped a few stages on the way to adulting. This, then, needed me to reflect on these stages so that the lack thereof would not morph into undesirable characteristics. So I’d like to talk about the love and understanding of self. The only reason many people have a list of stuff they don’t love about themselves is because we still do not understand that we are unique in our own way, and that’s okay! For example, I know for some people it’s weird that I’m not on social media, but I honestly have no clue what I’d be doing with all these platforms on my phone.

I have only recently embraced that I’m actually amazing. For the longest time, I was always told that my sisters are brilliant. This, then, made me believe that I was just an average child. The older I grew, and the more my talents were applauded, the more I started appreciating my own work. My parents never blatantly said I was average, but each time the report card came, I felt the different emotions mine was met with compared to my sisters’. This made me conscious of how I raise my daughters. I affirm them every single day, not with just my words but my actions too.