Idris Elba and his wife, Sabrina Dhowre, have been granted honorary citizenship in his father’s homeland, Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leonean authorities gave diplomatic passports to the British actor and his Canadian wife, with the intent to serve as brand ambassadors for the country.
In an interview with BBC, Idris Elba revealed that he wants to invest in developing tourism of Sierra Leone, and boost the entertainment industry. He said:
“I’m no stranger to Africa: I’ve been in Africa, I’ve made films in Africa, I’ve championed Africa, but Sierra Leone, it’s a very different feeling because it’s my parent’s home. The welcome has been incredible, and I’ve plugged straight into that energy that I think Sierra Leone is rising with. The son of the soil is coming back to fertilise the soil.
America or England cannot house my ambition. Africa can house my ambition, I can create another Disney here and I can’t do that in America”
The President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada-Bio, encouraged them to help “change the narrative of Sierra Leone from a war-torn and Ebola-affected country to one that is full of investment opportunities and one of best destinations for tourism”, AP News reports.
Idris Elba was raised in the UK by his Sierra Leonean father and Ghanaian mother.