Idriss Elba, the movie actor of Sierra-Leonian and Ghanaian origin, born in London, England, moderated a panel discussion on Saturday, 26 November 2022, at the Palais des Congrès at Sofitel Hôtel Ivoire Abidjan, as part of CANEX WKND 2022, from 25 to 27 November 2022.
A multidimensional actor who is a big hit in Hollywood, USA, Idriss Akouba Elba did not beat around the bush in sharing his wealth of experience gained in the cultural field, where he has been working for thirty-five years. In turn DJ, rapper, businessman, then movie actor, he confided that one should be able to multi-task. He added that having a good work programme is the best way to accomplish tasks.
The only son of his mother, Idriss Elba lost his father when he was just a year old, and intimated that his career began with difficulties. He said that he frequently had nowhere to lay his head, and sometimes slept in a van. Subsequently, he had a small studio and a computer for work. He further confided that his mother always told him never to give up.
As a conclusion to that difficult period, Idriss Elba revealed that the difficulties he experienced made him a better actor. He explained that he worked his way up in the profession through his will to diversify. For instance, when he played the role of a drug trafficker, he made sure he did not play the same part in another movie, because if you play a single role, people will have that image of you in real life.
Elba acknowledged that actors like Wesley Snipes helped him to gain access to the American market, hence the need to collaborate. In his opinion, collaboration is extremely important, and cannot be dispensed with. The famous actor advised that If you want good results, you need to collaborate, and collaboration is what he visualises. Idriss Elba advised African actors to boldly display their pride in being African. His message to stakeholders in the cultural sector was that they need to be thick-skinned because criticism allows us to progress.