Idris Elba on His Dyslexia, His African Cinema Vision and Doing “a Little Bit of Everything”

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During a discussion at the first-ever SXSW London held on Wednesday, Idris Elba spoke about the strength of imagination, located at Truman Brewery in London’s vibrant Shoreditch district.

During an extensive conversation titled “Creativity as Capital for Change,” the actor discussed several subjects, including his personal struggle with dyslexia, his efforts in Africa to develop theater, and his ambition to establish a theatrical network across the continent.

During a talk called “Creativity as Capital for Change,” the actor spoke about various topics such as his challenges with dyslexia, his work in Africa related to theater development, and his plan to create a theater network throughout Africa.

The versatile individual, known for roles as an actor, musician, filmmaker, businessperson, and philanthropist, had a captivating interview with Clara Amfo on British radio and television. This conversation attracted the greatest audience yet at SXSW London, causing a queue to form around the block. On stage with him were some of his fellow creators, such as director Stefan Schwartz, who has worked on Luther.

On the SXSW London website, a sneak peek hinted that the celebrity would delve into the topic of how creative impact can confront inequalities and discover innovative financial systems.

Elba expressed that he, just like many others, can relate to feeling disheartened when tuning into the news nowadays. “You see, I believe we’ve all experienced this. We wake up, switch on the news, and it’s one despair after another, one bad news story after another,” he commented. “But what keeps me going is knowing that I get to start anew each day, and that I have the opportunity to improve upon yesterday.

Later on, he clarified the title of the discussion by delving into the phrase “money spins the globe.” He admitted, “To a certain extent, this statement holds truth.” However, in his personal view, it’s their imagination that powers the world. Therefore, he wants to help young individuals realize that their wealth, or resources, are not external, but rather reside within themselves – in their creative abilities and self-expression skills.

Or more briefly:

He explained the title by exploring the saying “money runs the world.” He acknowledged its accuracy to some extent, but he believes it’s imagination that truly drives the world. So, his goal is to encourage young people to recognize that their wealth lies within themselves – in their creative skills and self-expression talents.

Afterward, he shifted his focus towards nurturing the upcoming generation of innovators, urging them to embrace their creative potential. “One reason I dabble in various areas and sometimes irritate people is that I believe it’s important for young minds to experiment and explore.” He finished by saying: “Young creators often underestimate the worth of their imagination, not realizing how precious their ideas become when they bring them to life.

During a heartfelt conversation, Elba spoke candidly about his struggles with dyslexia. “I’ve always found reading scripts challenging,” he admitted. “It wasn’t until later that I learned I had dyslexia, and it posed difficulties for me. With the numerous scripts I have to read, particularly in series where revisions are constant, Stefan and I found common ground in his idea of exploring a new approach. His concept was to adapt our methodology in a way that would be beneficial for people with dyslexia [and other neurodiverse individuals], helping them better comprehend scripts.

Over time, the duo created an application named “Taking Scripts,” as described, it enables users to listen to scripts using realistic voices, anywhere they go. It delivers only the essential lines – no headers or unnecessary additional content.

In other places, Elba established The Akuna Group, which seeks expansion prospects in Africa, particularly in fields like the creative sector, farming, and infrastructure. The goal is to foster Africa’s development by means of innovative solutions and significant impact.

The Akuna Wallet, a service based in Ghana that allows Ghanaian artists to receive payments directly from anyone, anywhere, as stated on their website, is a service that he expressed a desire to expand across Africa and eventually globally. Additionally, Idris Elba envisioned broadening the traditional cinema experience in Africa by saying, “I aim to construct an African Odeon.” He noted that there are fewer than 3,000 cinemas on the entire continent, and he expressed a desire to help increase this number because he believes that future generations should have access to the same cinema experience that we have grown up with.

Elba mused: “It seems like I’d accomplish this by constructing a system that demonstrates, in essence, your preference for watching movies and savoring the cinema experience.

Previously on Wednesday, various sessions at SXSW London included the participation of Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA, as well as Letitia Wright and others.

From June 7th onwards, SXSW London will be taking place. The primary shareholder of SXSW is Penske Media, which also owns The Hollywood Reporter.

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2025-06-04 20:59