British actor, Idris Elba, has told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that he will relocate to Africa within the next decade as part of his plans to support the continent’s movie industry.
The 52-year-old star of the hit series, ‘The Wire’ is behind nascent projects to build a film studio on the Tanzanian islands of Zanzibar as well as one in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.
Born in London, Elba, whose mother is from Ghana and father from Sierra Leone, has a strong attachment to Africa.
According to BBC, he wants to leverage his star power to back its burgeoning film business as he says it is vital that Africans get to tell their own stories.
“I would certainly consider settling down here; not even consider, it’s going to happen,” he said in an interview on the sidelines of an industry meeting in Accra.
“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.”
Elba added that, in the spirit of Pan-Africanism he will not commit to living in a specific place.
“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.”
“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 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.”
“With Nigeria’s Nollywood producing hundreds of movies a year, films are arguably one of the country’s most successful exports. There is also a tradition, especially in parts of Francophone Africa, of making high-quality films.”
UN’s cultural agency, UNESCO, said that despite “significant growth in production”, the business of film-making across the continent was hindered by issues such as piracy, insubstantial training opportunities and a lack of official film institutions.
Photo: Okay Africa