Hollywood actor, Idris Elba, has shared his intentions to move to Africa within the next decade to help support the continent’s rapidly growing film industry.
The 52-year-old star told the BBC that he was committed to empowering Africans to tell their own stories through film.
“I’m not just considering it, it’s going to happen,” Elba said during an interview in Accra.
“I expect to relocate in the next five to ten years, God willing. I’m here to help strengthen the film industry, and that’s a long-term process. I can’t do it from overseas; I need to be on the ground, in Africa.”
He has a personal connection to the continent, with his mother from Ghana and his father from Sierra Leone.
Idris Elba is already involved in building film studios in Zanzibar and Accra.
However, he hasn’t committed to living in just one place, embracing a Pan-African mindset.
“I plan to live in Accra, Freetown, and Zanzibar. I want to be wherever stories are being told, and that’s key for me,” he explained.
Idris Elba emphasised how crucial it is for Africans to control their own narratives, both on and off the screen.
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“When you watch films about Africa, it’s often focused on trauma—slavery, colonization, war. But it’s so important for us to share our own stories, about our traditions, cultures, and languages,” he added.
