Idris Elba has shared details of his “dream” to turn an island off the coast of Sierra Leone, the country where his father was born, into an environmentally friendly smart city.
The actor is working with his childhood friend to develop Sherbro, which is roughly the size of the Isle of Man, after the island was given enough autonomy by the west African nation’s government to allow the work to go ahead.
“Originally, we went there thinking how could we bring tourism to the most incredible 19 miles of beachfront,” Elba told the BBC. But his friend Siaka Stevens said it became apparent Sierra Leone was not yet prepared for such an influx of tourists.
Instead, the pair – who grew up together in east London – decided to embark on a more ambitious project. Their company, Sherbro Alliance Partners (SAP), has reached agreements with the Sierra Leonean government, as well as several major firms, to build an eco city as a public-private partnership.
They have agreed a deal with the energy company Octopus to build Sierra Leone’s first windfarm on the island, which lacks mains electricity and is a two-hour ferry trip from the mainland. Elba said a sustainable approach to developing the project would be central throughout the development.
Equally important will be respecting local culture and sensibilities, with Elba expressing his hope to create a “culturally diverse international city that blends African tradition, dynamism, and pride with state-of-the-art infrastructure and services”.
“The character of the island hopefully will remain intact. It’s a beautiful, green part of the world and we don’t want to disturb that,” he said.
He added: “It’s about being self-reliant, it’s about bringing an economy that feeds itself and has growth potential. I’m very keen to reframe the way Africa is viewed … as an aid model. This opportunity is completely different.”
He and Stevens have defined three key principles for the project. Among them is developing “based on African cultural values and principles, which prioritise community, collaboration, and respect for nature”.
They also said they planned to design the infrastructure in a way that was adaptable to “changing social, economic and environmental conditions” and to follow “eco city principles”, such as building in a way that is “environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, and resilient to climate change”.
Stevens said that the development on the island would be “fuelled by clean energy sources”.
The pair said they had also sought to consult residents of the island; saying they have each visited several times to meet local leaders.
Last month, Lloyds of London announced it was to take up a role in the project, but said at the time that Stevens and Elba’s company was still in the process of putting together feasibility studies with the government of Sierra Leone.
Elba and Stevens have said they hoped to break ground on the project within about a year of those studies starting, but they have stressed that this is a process that is likely to last decades.
Feasibility is a key question for the project, for which SAP reportedly hopes to raise billions of dollars from various sources.
The US-Senegalese singer Akon is another artist who announced a plan to build a futuristic city in his ancestral homeland. The first phase of his project was due to be completed by late last year. But, as the Guardian reported in December, the project has been beset by delays and controversy – with only a youth centre and the shell of what is planned to be the “welcome centre” having been built so far.
While Akon received praise for the planned city’s Afrofuturistic aesthetic, there has been scepticism as to whether it will ever come to pass, fuelled by a lack of detail around the plans.
Elba, for his part, has been clear about where his strengths lie. “Never in my lifetime would I have thought I could build the foundation for a new smart-city … I’m not qualified for that. But I am qualified to dream big,” he said.
“It’s a dream, you know, but I work in the make-believe business.”
He added: “Part of me wants to build that beautiful retirement home for my mum.”
The actor told the broadcaster his late father would probably think the dream too big. But he said he would be proud, and tell his son “If you’re going to do it, make sure you do it properly. You do it good, you do it with all your heart because that’s the best you can do”.
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