- Hollywood movie star Idris Elba meets Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan
- Idris Elba to set up film studios in Ghana and Tanzania
- Africa’s Creative Arts industry growing rapidly
British actor Idrissa Akuna Elba alias Idris Elba, plans to open a major film studio in Tanzania after holding initial talks with President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Tanzanian’s Director of Presidential Communications, Zuhura Yunus, recently made this announcement during a media briefing session on the outcome of President Hassan’s trip to the 53rd World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“The president met with Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina, and they are keen to invest in a film studio in Tanzania,” said Yunus.
“Discussions on the project have just begun, and if successful, the project will help not only Tanzania but also Eastern and Central Africa,” she added.
While the country is mostly known for its minerals, the likes of tanzanite, a rare gemstone found solely in Tanzania, the country has made headlines, this time not for its tanzanite or gold, but for its movie industry, Bongo movie. Bongo is the name given to the Tanzanian movie industry, a portmanteau of Swahili and Hollywood.
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While Bongo movie to date remains a fairly underperforming sector, the industry is well on its way to becoming a force to reckon with thanks to the announcement by Elba
Tanzania’s Bongo movie has been dominated by low-budget films and television series in the local language, Kiswahili. Most of the movies are released in DVD format and not in cinema.
While Bongo movie stars are celebrities at home, they do not have big names across Tanzania’s borders. Revenue in the industry can only be described as average and most are based in the country’s commercial port city of Dar es Salaam.
Long-term investment in Africa’s performing arts
On the other hand, the country’s tourism island of Zanzibar has a renowned name for hosting the annual Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF). The event features a review of well-performing Tanzanian films, workshops, exhibitions, and panoramas of women.
The only major film companies in the country are Steps Entertainment and Mzimuni Theatre Art, however, all this is about to change.
Elba’s interest in Africa has been growing, evident in his latest movie ‘Beast’, which was almost entirely shot in South Africa.
Elba told South Africa media that he wants to do more major films in the continent.
Now the star of multibillion-dollar blockbusters like the biographical film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013), has taken his intention a step further and is moving to invest in the creation of not one but two major film companies.
Tanzania is the latest of the two countries that Elba has set his investment sights on after Ghana, his mother’s birth country.
“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,” said the 49-year-old actor.
“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,” he declared.
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For Ghana, Elba held discussions with President Nana Akufo-Addo in Accra earlier this year where he announced his interest to open a modern film studio in his country of origin.
“The National Film Authority has done the work and has put together a comprehensive plan to propel Ghana into the forefront. It needs to be robust. It needs to be competitive with the rest of the world,” he acknowledged to the president.
“We believe for sure, and I know you believe it’s a legacy that you want to leave behind, that Ghana should step up to start attracting those filmmakers,” the actor told the president.
Elba’s ambitious plan to support Africa’s development is not limited to the film industry. He attended the Africa Digital Innovation Competitors event at the most recent US-Africa Leaders Summit where he emphasized the need to invest in the African entertainment industry.
“If there are any investors listening or watching today if you do not consider Africa as a viable investment, you’re not considering yourself or your future. Africa’s future is your own future and vice versa,” said Elba as he challenged investors to explore the opportunities in Africa
“We do not need aid anymore, we need innovation. We need partnership,” he said.
Tanzania’s movie industry has the potential to create employment opportunities for the country’s youth and boost the national GDP.
Through this investment in Tanzania’s film industry, Elba will in effect be creating employment for youth and more so women.
The industry employs not only actors but a huge range of professionals including technicians, engineers, and contractors. Indirectly, the industry will create employment for supporting businesses like catering, tailoring, transportation, and others.
