The growing interest among Africans in the diaspora to invest in relevant sectors in Africa has hit an impressive take-off with the recent coming from Hollywood actor, Idris Elba. The award-winning actor has expressed interest in building a movie studio in Africa, specifically Tanzania.
This was revealed by a presidential aid, ZUhura Yunus following a brief meeting between the actor and his wife, together with the President of Tanzania in Davos, Switzerland. In the short message accompanied with images, the aide indicated that, “discussions on the project have just begun, and if successful.”
He added further that, “the project will help not only Tanzania but also Eastern and Central Africa.” The news did not come as a surprise as Elba who is born to a Sierre Leonean Father and a Ghanaian mother is on record to have expressed interest in the African movie industry in the past.
In a previous interview, he revealed a clear-cut interest in contributing to the growth of the continent. “I’m really keen on the development of Africa. My parents come from Africa and more than anywhere in the world, I feel like that continent deserves some real tender care and love, and thought,” Elba said.
The BEAST actor further stated that, he aims to give visibiity to the movie industry “Young Africans view me as a leader or a beacon. And I feel like I could bring something. So I’m keen to bring what I’ve learned in media and amplify it in Africa… I’m a fan of content creators in Africa, especially West Africa.”
He also applauded creators in Africa for wonderful works despite having limited resources. “These kids that have these smartphones are making incredible content. And I feel like it’s overlooked. So I’m really a fan of trying to harness that and help that grow,” he said regarding their creativity.
This is the second consecutive news on an investment in the movie sector from Africans resident in the diaspora. Earlier on, we reported on how one Michael B. Pratt, a Los Angeles based man who announced a decision to construct a $350 million film studio in Ghana to help transform creative art.
His project was designed with features such as a film & music school, screening theaters, a concert hall, office space, a hotel forecast and crews, and most importantly, seven soundstages, a 240-acre backlot, a blue-screen water tank, a recording studio, pre/post-production facilities.
The passionate man indicated that, “I was born in Los Angeles and raised around celebrities and executives. Essentially, I was raised around Hollywood and now I will bring Hollywood to Ghana.” Pratt made these remarks in a comment regarding the project. He has since secured a partnership to commence the project.