Born in Mombasa, Kenya is the 12-year-old painter, designer, model, singer, and a Global Child Prodigy, Sheila Sheldone Charles who lives with her parents and younger brother. She discovered her love for art when she was 5 years old. She paints her heart out and anything from wildlife to female icons are the subjects of her artwork.
The African Giant recently bagged the 2021 Nina Simone Artistic Excellence Honoree for a young, gifted, and Black entrepreneur. This award was launched in 2006 to commemorate the American musician and civil rights activist Eunice Kathleen Waymon popularly known as Nina Simone. An award that honors Black history and unsung achievers within the Black community.
This was the third award for the prodigy Sheldone, after winning the Youngest Lioness Award in 2018 and the Global Child Prodigy Award in 2020. She was the only child, and African nominated for the award, where she beat 26 contestants.
Call her a painter or an artist, surprisingly; a singer emerges from within her. The next moment she takes the role of a designer and a model. She then takes the form of a public speaker and says that she is going to be a future actress.
In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency, she asked children to discover themselves to change the life of their families and communities. “I use paintings to tell stories, especially of women and children who, like my mother, suffer a great deal to give our lives meaning,” says Sheilah.
This exceptional kid was applauded worldwide in various instances. BBC News, Citizen TV Kenya and FOX40 also featured her talent. The portrait of Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta went viral on the internet and the government invited her to present the painting herself to the president at the State House in Nairobi in 2018.
The young African Giant was called to the US to teach young children of the community school. She taught them painting and drawing. The Tese Foundation presented her the award, “Youngest Lioness of 2018” for, she was the youngest girl from Africa to help the community. She received the Global Child Prodigy Award 2020 for her distinctive flair in painting.
Sheilah is one of many talents from Africa. The continent of Africa is indeed blessed with diverse gifts and talent waiting to come to the limelight. That the world can discover the talent of unsung men and women.
