British actor Idris Elba about his plans

The man who played Nelson Mandela has big African ambitions: a film studio here in Zanzibar, a smart green island in Sierra Leone, How far have his plans come?

If things go well, popular film star Idris Elba will have quite some jet-setting between West and East Africa tio manage in pursuit of two homebound projects, so to speak. In April, the actor with roots in Sierra Leone and Ghana shared details of his dream to turn an island off the coast of Sierra Leone into an environmentally friendly smart city – similar to Fumba Town in Zanzibar.

His second African endeavour, plans for a film studio in Zanzibar – THE FUMBA TIMES reported – have been circulating for quite a while and were now confirmed by Zanzibar’s Investment Minister Shariff Shariff at the 27th International Film Festival here in July. And if all that is not enough, award-winning Elba, best known for his roles in Luther, the Wire and for playing Nelson Mandela, has also been thinking of opening a film studio in Ghana. 

80 acres in Fumba for film studio

Is the sudden interest of African-American stars realistic? 52-year-old Elba, with a dual UK and Sierra Leone citizenship, has long been a crusader for engagement in Africa. The popular British actor  - who was voted the ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ in 2018 - has previously voiced his ambitions to develop Africa’s expanding film industry. But his Zanzibar visions finally came to life when meeting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January 2023. “Mama Samia” who has starred herself in an unusual US tourism promotion film “The Royal Tour”, proved once more the perfect cultural ambassador for her country welcoming the Hollywood actor. His planned film studio would be similar to any in “Hollywood, Nollywood or Bollywood”, said Zanzibar’s Investment Minister Shariff Shariff last month when giving green light to the project. He confirmed that he has allocated 80 acres of land on the Fumba peninsula for it. The minister said: “If successful, it will help not only Tanzania but also eastern and central Africa”. For industry insiders, a professional film studio in Zanzibar (or elsewhere in Africa) makes sense: a 2022 Unesco report honoured Africa’s “great acting talent” but documented “a lack of a significant industry and official film institutions.” 

Sierra Leone is another project dear to Elba’s heart. ”It’s a beautiful, green part of the world and we don’t want to disturb that”, he told a reporter of the London Guardian newspaper: “It’s all about being self-reliant, I’m very keen to reframe the way Africa is viewed, definitely not as an aid model.” There are similarities with Zanzibar: The Sierra Leone island Sherbro is also a two-hour ferry trip from the mainland but only a quarter of the size of Zanzibar and has 30,000 inhabitants. Elba’s vision: Sherbro Island could grow to one million inhabitants, powered by wind and solar, and become the economic engine for the country. With all his African projects, you wonder if the award-winning actor and rapper has any time for a new film. But we will certainly welcome him in Zanzibar - no matter his mission.