Idris Elba has been given citizenship of his father’s native Sierra Leone.
The British film star landed in the capital Freetown at the end of 2019 for his first visit to the country.
Elba told the BBC’s Umaru Fofana that citizenship was “the biggest honour I could get from my country”.
“I’m no stranger to Africa: I’ve been in Africa, I’ve made films in Africa, I’ve championed Africa,” he said. “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.”
The Mayor of Freetown, and President of our sister Hull Society, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr met with Idris Elba to discuss her plans to Transform Freetown and how he could help her achieve it.
This is an exciting moment and one which we are sure will give added momentum to many projects in the upcoming future.
