Idris Elba recently shared some big plans for his mother and father’s homeland of Ghana and Sierra Leone. The British actor told CNN that he wants to build a “smart eco-city” on Sherbro Island, located near Sierra Leone in West Africa. Elba said the revamped eco-friendly island, which will provide power to residents using wind and solar, will also make tourism more attractive.
“At some junction, my business partner Siaka Stevens, who is the grandson of the former president [of the same name who served from 1971 to 1985], said: ‘Look, someone needs to cultivate Sherbro Island for tourism.’ That was seven years ago,” Elba told CNN. “Where we are now is that we partnered with the government to figure out a plan of how we can bring in tourism. Well, it started as tourism – now we’re building a smart, eco dynamic city.”
According to Elba, about 40,000 people are living on Sherbro Island, which features 19 miles of beachfront. The island is also a popular place for green sea turtles.
“Sherbro Island used to historically be the point of no return in the slave trade. It was where England had their capital city of Sierra Leone [when it was a colony], in a city called Bonthe, which is still there,” Elba said. “And the relics of the city are still there: the grid system, road system, the old houses, the churches. It’s an incredibly historically rich part of Sierra Leone.”
While enjoying immense success as an entertainer in Britain, Elba has never forgotten his roots. The Wire actor said he has put together a strong team to execute his vision for Sierra Leone, which he sees as a country with incredible potential despite being one of the poorest in the world.
The key, he said, is to “understand how to package an investment opportunity around this beautiful island without destroying it, being climate conscious, and being conscious that there is a youth culture across Africa of the average age of about 20, that wants something.”
“I’ve suddenly found myself in the middle of trying to figure out how to pull this together, and what I did was get the best-in-class thinkers on how to build a robust investment framework for the international players to look at Africa in a different way,” Elba continued. “And that’s what Sherbro Island is. That’s a very long-winded way of saying it’s my retirement plan.”
Elba said Africa is known for its creative industries, including singing, dancing and storytelling, but it’s also a place that still has great potential to grow a lot more.
“We need support from governments saying the creative arts industry does need support and an incentive for it to grow,” he said. “I’ve made nine films in Africa, nine or eight films. Each time I’m there, I see the opportunity’s growing, I see the quality of the work growing, and I just want to contribute more.”
Speaking about his acting career, Elba shared that he doesn’t look back on The Wire.
“No, I haven’t watched most of The Wire,” he said. “It’s just because it’s an incredible time of my life. I can’t watch it through that lens. I’ve racked up some box sets. I’ve got The Wire to get through. I’ve got Luther season one to five to get to.”
Elba, who moved to the U.S. as a young actor, said he faced great challenges at that time, but he also grew in confidence.
“I went through a very tough time; at one point I was homeless,” he said. “In my early years, The Wire changed my life completely, and my daughter was born at the same time. So that really changed my life. I’m always in and out of America. I live in England now, closer to my mum. My dad’s passed and so I’m home in England now, but I’m always there.”
