Idris Elba has conquered Hollywood with iconic roles in 鈥淭he Wire鈥 and 鈥淟uther.鈥 Now, the London-born actor is shifting his focus to a new stage 鈥 one that鈥檚 10,000 miles away. Elba, whose parents hail from Sierra Leone and Ghana, is on a mission to transform the entertainment industry in Africa.
His vision is ambitious. Elba aims to build film studios across Africa, starting in Zanzibar, the Tanzanian semi-autonomous island renowned for its white sand beaches. The idea took root last year when Elba met Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan Their discussions led to plans for the first studio in Zanzibar 鈥 a move Elba believes could be the first building block of a global entertainment hub.
In August, the government of Zanzibar promised him nearly 200 acres to begin construction.
鈥淚dris Elba will be building a modern studio similar to Hollywood, Nollywood (in NIgeria), or Bollywood,鈥 Zanzibar鈥檚 Minister for Investment, Shariff Ali Shariff, announced. He even joked about naming the industry 鈥淶allywood鈥 or 鈥淶awood.鈥
The project goes beyond film. Elba believes Africa鈥檚 creative sector is underrepresented globally.
鈥淢uch of the imagery about Africa isn鈥檛 even generated from Africa,鈥 Elba told CNN at the Stellar Development Foundation鈥檚 Meridian conference in London this week. 鈥淎 lot of media is centered around (negative depictions of Africa). But the median age in Africa is 19; these young people are optimistic and deserve the chance to tell their own stories.鈥
There is also significant money to be made. Though Africa comprises 18% of the world鈥檚 population, it accounts for only 1% of the global creative economy 鈥 a sector that expects to double in the next five years.
The timing couldn鈥檛 be better. A recent UNESCO report shows that Africa鈥檚 film and audiovisual industry could create 20 million jobs and add $20 billion to the continent鈥檚 GDP by 2030. Global players like Netflix and Disney have already made sizable investments in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria.
Still, many governments in emerging economies have yet to recognize the economic potential of the creative sector, Elba said. The lack of regulation and investment, particularly around copyright and financing, has placed limits on growth.
He sees potential akin to South Korea鈥檚 explosive entertainment industry growth: From 2017 to 2021, Korean pop-culture-related exports grew at an average annual rate of 13.7%, 2.5 times faster than overall export growth. Korea鈥檚 Economic Research Institute estimates this contributed $27 billion to the economy.
Tanzania is already looking toward that model, partnering with South Korea to send African actors for training in Busan. But Elba understands that building studios alone won鈥檛 be enough to spark an entertainment revolution.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all been a puzzle,鈥 he said, referring to the challenges of structuring a new industry. One critical piece is how to pay creators in countries with limited banking infrastructure.
In a separate but related project aimed at solving the payment issue, Elba has partnered with Stellar, a blockchain-based platform, to introduce Akuna Wallet, a digital wallet designed for the creative economy.
Akuna Wallet allows artists, filmmakers, and musicians to manage payments and royalties without relying on traditional banks. By enabling peer-to-peer transactions in digital currencies, it provides a secure payment system in regions with limited financial infrastructure.
With nearly 60% of Ghana鈥檚 population under 25, many young Africans remain unbanked.
A pilot program, launched this week in partnership with the government of Ghana, aims to streamline payments for local creatives, potentially bringing more financial inclusion to the industry.
鈥淧opular platforms for monetizing creative work often require bank accounts, which excludes many young Africans,鈥 Elba said. 鈥淲e need a financial model that allows for consistent quality creation.鈥
But if local governments see a healthy entertainment economy, he added, they鈥檒l enable it to grow.
鈥淚t will grow, and it can grow,鈥 he said.
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An Indigenous senator told King Charles III that Australia is not his land as the royal visited Australia's parliament on Monday.
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South Korea on Monday demanded the immediate pullout of North Korean troops allegedly deployed in Russia as it summoned the Russian ambassador to protest deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.
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A U.S. and a Canadian warship sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait together on Sunday, less than a week after China conducted a new round of war games around the island, with Beijing denouncing the mission as 'disruptive.'
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