Why am I planning to move to Africa

British actor Idris Elba has told the BBC that he will move to Africa within the next decade as part of his plans to support the continent's film industry.

The 52-year-old star of The Wire series is behind the startup projects Building a film studio in the Tanzanian islands of Zanzibar As well as one in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.

Elba was born in London, his mother is from Ghana and his father is from Sierra Leone, and he has a strong connection to Africa.

He wants to leverage his star power to support his burgeoning film business, as he says it is essential that Africans are able to tell their own stories.

“I would definitely think about settling here, and I don't even think that will happen,” he said in an interview on the sidelines of an industry meeting in Accra.

“I guess [I’ll move] During the next five or ten years, God willing. I am here to support the film industry – a process that takes 10 years – and I will not be able to do it from the outside. I need to be in the country, on the continent.”

But in the spirit of African unity, he will not commit to living in a specific place.

“I will live in Accra, I will live in Freetown [Sierra Leone’s capital]I will live in Zanzibar. “I'm going to try to go where they're telling the stories, and that's really important.”

One of his goals is to one day make a film at his studio in Accra.

Elba, who played South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela in the 2013 biopic Long Walk to Freedom, believes this is vital for South Africa. Africans should be at the center stage in the entire filmmaking process. This is in front of the camera, behind the camera, and also in financing, distribution, marketing, and showing the final product.

He imagines that just as movie audiences around the world know the differences between New York City and Los Angeles in the United States without ever having to visit them, they will one day have a more accurate understanding of the continent.

“This sector represents soft power, not only in Ghana but across Africa.

“If you watch any movie or anything that has to do with Africa, all you will see is the trauma, how we were slaves, how we were colonized, how it was just war, and when you come to Africa, you will realize that is not true.

“So, it's really important that we have those stories about our traditions, our culture, our languages, the differences between one language and another. The world doesn't know that.”

With Nigerian Nollywood producing hundreds of films annually, films are arguably one of the country's most successful exports. There is also a tradition, especially in parts of French-speaking Africa, of producing high-quality films.

Elba has previously acknowledged the talent in the African film industry, but said the facilities are “lacking”.

2022 report from UNESCO She supported the actor.

The UN cultural agency said that despite “significant growth in production”, filmmaking across the continent was hampered by issues such as piracy, inadequate training opportunities and a lack of formal film institutions.

Elba believes that with the right momentum and the involvement of governments willing to create an enabling environment, a virtuous circle can be created.

“We have to invest in storytelling, because when you see me, you see a little version of yourself and that encourages us.”