Idris Elba reveals he wants to settle in Africa within a decade

Idris Elba has revealed that he wants to settle in Africa within a decade.

The actor, 52, wishes to help bolster their film industry and is opening film studios in Zanzibar and Ghana's capital Accra.

Idris - whose mother is from Ghana and father is from Sierra Leone - was born in Hackney in east London.

On Wednesday he told the BBC: 'I would certainly consider settling down here — not even consider; it's going to happen.

'I think I'll move in the next five, ten years, God willing. I'm here to bolster the film industry. That is a ten-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 [the capital of Sierra Leone], I'm going to live in Zanzibar. I'm going to try and go where they're telling stories - that's really important.'

He added that he thinks it is vital for Africans to play a key part in all areas of the film-making process including in financing, distribution and marketing. 

He said that in the current sector if you watch films that have anything to do with Africa all you will see is 'trauma, war, how we were slaves' but that in reality if you travel there you see that that is not true. 

In March Idris revealed plans to transform a remote island off the coast of Sierra Leone, the West African nation where his father was born, into an eco-friendly 'smart city'.

The British star said he wants to make Sherbro Island an 'afro-dynamic eco-city' - an urban hub for the whole of Africa combining sustainability, community and economic growth.

Sherbro Alliance Partners (SAP) say the development will be done while protecting its 'delicate ecosystem', with the 230 sq mile island covered with mangrove forests and an important nesting site for sea turtles.

Home to just 40,000 people, most of whom work in fishing and rice farming, the actor hopes to cultivate economic growth and bring prosperity to the former British colony.

The development scheme has not got a specified budget but is likely to run into the billions of dollars, with SAP seeking out investment and Mr Elba admitting that it is a 'big dream'.

'Never in my lifetime would I have thought I could build the foundation for a new smart-city… I'm not qualified for that,' he told the BBC. 'But I am qualified to dream big.'

The Hackney-born star has been vocal about his desire to rejuvenate and 'rebrand' his father's homeland after making his fortune as a DJ, singer and actor.

What began as a mission to bring tourism to the island, which boasts stunning white beaches and palm trees, soon grew into an innovative plan to develop the area in a more sustainable way.

'It's about being self-reliant, it's about bringing an economy that feeds itself and has growth potential,' Mr Elba said.

'I'm very keen to reframe the way Africa is viewed… as an aid model. This opportunity is completely different.'

Read More

Idris Elba shares 'big dreams' to build futuristic eco-city in Sierra Leone and reveals reason behind innovative plans on the island off coast of Africa

The Luther actor was brought into the project by childhood friend Siaka Stevens, the grandson of Sierra Leone's former president of the same name, who he grew up with in London.

Mr Stevens had been looking for development opportunities in his birth country, but after bringing Elba on board the pair soon realised a boutique hotel was not the best avenue to go down.

They decided instead to set up SAP and work towards building Sherbro Island City, striking a deal with the Sierra Leonean government to develop the island. 

President Julius Maada Bio, who is from Sherbro's district, said his government believes the development will make the island 'an economic engine for our country and neighbours'.

The actor said the island, which was 'once under British reign, is now my canvas for change.'

'As a British man deeply rooted in Africa, I'm steering a transformative project on Sherbro Island,' he wrote on X last week.

'Envision green energy, pioneering innovations, and a melting pot for global talents to flourish. We're preserving our heritage whilst fostering our future.'

Mocked-up plans of what the city could look like show glassy buildings, pristine lawns and business and entertainment complexes.

But the current reality of life on the island is far removed from these artist's impressions, with many of its inhabitants living in run-down shanty towns and with limited infrastructure.

A proud Sierra Leonean, the actor and musician's late father Winston was born in the country before he migrated to the UK. 

During his first visit to his fatherland, when he was awarded citizenship in 2019, he declared: 'The son of the soil is coming back to fertilise the soil.'