Idris Elba says he'll relocate as part of plan to bolster African film industry

Idris Elba has announced plans to relocate to Africa as part of his commitment to the burgeoning film industry on the continent. “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,” he told the BBC during a visit to Accra, Ghana. These plans are not limited to a single locale: “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.”

Elba was born in London, England, to a mother from Ghana and a father from Sierra Leone. He’s already invested heavily in projects on the continent, with plans to develop film studios around the continent. Earlier this year, he was allocated land on the Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar to develop one such studio, which local authorities jokingly referred to as “Zollywood.” Elba also previously indicated he was working on establishing a similar studio in Ghana. Outside of the entertainment biz, he’s involved in a project to create an eco-friendly “smart city” on Sierra Leone’s Sherbro Island.

In terms of cinema, Elba has highlighted the talent of African filmmakers but noted that the facilities on the continent are “lacking.” “This sector is a soft power, not just across Ghana but across Africa. 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 colonized, how it’s just war and when you come to Africa, you will realize that it’s not true,” he stated to the BBC. “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.”