British actor Idris Elba has revealed plans to move to Africa within the next 10 years, aiming to play a key role in supporting the African film industry.
The 52-year-old star, best known for playing South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela in the 2013 biopic Long Walk to Freedom, will travel to Zanzibar Island in Tanzania and Accra, Ghana as part of his vision. He is already involved in a project to build a film studio. To strengthen local film production.
Speaking on the sidelines of a film industry conference in Accra, he stressed the importance of Africans telling their stories on the world stage, as reported by the BBC on Wednesday.
“Of course I will think about settling here. Even if I don’t think about it, it will happen,” he said.
He added: “I think, God willing, I will (move) within the next five to 10 years.” I’m here to strengthen the film industry. This will take 10 years, and you can’t do it from abroad. I need to be within the continent. ”
Elba, also known for his roles in “Beasts of No Nation,” “Pacific Rim,” and “Thor,” said he doesn’t plan on living in a specific location.
“I’m going to live in Accra, I’m going to live in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, and I’m going to live in Zanzibar. I’m going to go where they’re telling the story – it’s really important,” he said. added.
The actor was born in London to a Ghanaian mother and a Sierra Leonean father.
He said he is committed to using his influence to elevate the region’s film industry.
“I am here to strengthen the film industry and this will take 10 years.
“I can’t do that from abroad. I need to be at home, on the continent,” he said.
He believes the film industry acts as a “soft power” that can change global perceptions of the continent.
“If you watch a movie or anything that has to do with Africa, all you see is trauma, how we were slaves, how we were colonized, how this is just a war; If you come to Africa, you’ll realize that that’s not true.
“So it’s very important that we own the stories about our heritage, our culture, our language, the differences between one language and another. The world doesn’t know that.” he said.
He dreams of one day shooting a film in an Accra studio to show the potential of locally produced stories.
“We have to invest in storytelling, because when you look at me, you see a little version of yourself, and that inspires us,” he said. .
It was recently announced that the British actor will play Okonkwo, the protagonist of Chinua Achebe’s classic novel Things Fall Apart, in a new television series adaptation.