Award-winning Hollywood actor, Idris Elba, has revealed plans to relocate to Africa, News About Nigeria reports.
He disclosed this while speaking on the sidelines of a film industry meeting in Accra on Wednesday.
Elba noted that his planned relocation will happen within the next decade and is aimed at playing a key role in supporting the continent’s film industry.
The 52-year-old British star, known for playing South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela in the 2013 biopic ‘Long Walk to Freedom’, is already involved in projects to build film studios in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and Accra (Ghana) as part of his vision to bolster local filmmaking.
He stated that it is important for Africans to tell their own stories on the global stage, adding that he will not be able to do it while living on other continents.
Elba, also known for his roles in Beasts of No Nation, Pacific Rim, and Thor, also stated he would not commit to living in a specific place.
He further noted that he is committed to leveraging his influence to elevate the region’s film industry.
He said, “I would certainly consider settling down here; not even consider; it’s going to happen.
“I think [I’ll move] in the next five, 10 years, God willing. I’m here to bolster the film industry, that is a 10-year process, I won’t be able to do that from overseas. I need to be in-country, on the continent.
“I’m going to live in Accra; I’m going to live in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital; I’m going to live in Zanzibar. I’m going to try and go where they’re telling stories—that’s really important.
“I’m here to bolster the film industry—that is a 10-year process. I won’t be able to do that from overseas. I need to be in-country, on the continent.
“If you watch any film or anything that has got to do with Africa, all you’re going to see is trauma, how we were slaves, how we were colonised, how it’s just war and when you come to Africa, you will realise that it’s not true.
“So, it’s really important that we own those stories of our tradition, of our culture, of our languages, of the differences between one language and another. The world doesn’t know that.”
