Idris Elba and his “dream” of building an ecological city on an island off the coast of Sierra Leone

The well-known actor Idris Elba has a dream: to transform an island off the coast of Sierra Leone, the country where his father was born, into a smart city Environmental friendly.

The actor is working with his childhood friend to develop Sherbrowhich is about the size of the Isle of Man, around 572 square kilometres.

The project took shape after the West African nation’s government donated the island sufficient autonomy to allow the work to proceed.

“At first we were there thinking how we could bring tourism up to the most incredible 30 kilometers of beach,” Elba told the BBC.

But his friend Siaka Stevens said it “became clear” that the country was at a standstill I wasn’t ready for such an influx of tourists.

Instead the friends, who grew up together in east London, decided to undertake a more ambitious project. His company, Sherbro Alliance Partners (SAP), has reached agreements with the government of Sierra Leone, as well as several major companies, to build an ecological city as a public-private partnership.

They have reached a deal with energy company Octopus to build Sierra Leone’s first wind farm on the island, which has no electricity grid and is a two-hour ferry ride from the mainland.

The Suicide Squad actor, among many other films, said this a sustainable approach The entire business plan would be fundamental for the development of the project.

“Equally important will be to respect local culture and sensitivity,” Elba said, expressing hope of creating an “international city.” culturally diverse which combines African tradition, dynamism and pride with state-of-the-art infrastructure and services.”

“We hope that the character of the island remains intact. It’s a beautiful, green part of the world and we don’t want to disturb him“, She said.

“It’s about being self-sufficient, It’s about creating an economy that is self-sustaining and has the potential for growth. I’m very interested in reframing the way Africa is seen… as a model for aid. “This opportunity is completely different,” she added.

He and Stevens called it quits three fundamental principles for the project. Among these is development “based on African cultural values ​​and principles, which prioritize community, collaboration and respect for nature”.

They also said they intend to design infrastructure in a way that is adaptable to “changing social, economic and environmental conditions” and follow “green city principles,” such as building so that it is “Environmental friendly, energy efficient and resilient to climate change”.

Stevens said development of the island would be possible “powered by clean energy sources”.

The friends said they also tried to consult the island’s inhabitants; saying that each of them visited several times to meet local leaders.

Last month, British bank Lloyds announced it would take part in the project, but said at the time that Stevens and Elba’s company was still under construction feasibility studies with the Government of Sierra Leone.

Elba and Stevens said they expected to start the project a year later before the studies began, but they stressed that it is a process that will likely last decades.

Vitality is a fundamental issue for the project, for which they hope to raise billions of dollars from various sources.

American-Senegalese singer Akon is another artist who has announced plans to build a futuristic city on his ancestral land.

The first phase of the project was expected to be completed late last year. But, as reported Caretaker in December the project was hit by delays and controversies: so far only a youth center and the structure of what should be the “reception center” have been built.

While Akon has received praise for the planned city’s Afrofuturist aesthetic, there was skepticism about the possibility of that ever happening, fueled by the lack of details on the plans.

Elba, for its part, was clear Where your strengths lie. “Never in my life would I have thought I could lay the foundations for a new smart city. I’m not qualified for that. But I’m qualified to dream big,” she said.

“It’s a dream, you know? Butor work in the world of fantasy“.

He added: “Part of me wants to build that beautiful retirement home for my mother.”

The actor told the station that his late father probably would have thought the dream was too big. But he said that he would be proud and would say to his son: “If you are going to do it, make sure you do it correctly. You do it well, you do it with all your heart because it’s the best thing you can do.”

Source: The Guardian