A decade after first appearance in Davos during the World Economic Forum as a DJ, British actor Idris Elba has returned to Swiss Alpine village with his wife, Sabrina Dhowre Elba, in a very different role – as an advocate for food security and efforts to combat climate change.
It could be recalled that during his previous appearance in 2014, “messaging was, you know, ‘have a good time guys’,” Elba told newsmen.
“There were some very, very interesting people as my audience, but it´s nothing compared to being here this time,” said Elba, as there is “way more” responsibility.
“There´s no comparison,” said the artist, whose talents range from spinning discs at the Coachella festival to playing South African anti-apartheid hero and president Nelson Mandela in “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”.
According to reports, the Elbas, who are goodwill ambassadors for the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development, are in Davos to urge the world’s corporate and political elite to do more to help small farmers in Africa.
“We have specific goals and specific targeting and messaging to do while we’re here. It has been a very different experience from the first time.”
Remarkably, the couple was awarded the WEF´s Crystal Award for their advocacy work recently at an event where Elba told the audience that the poor of this world are looking for investments, not just aid and handouts.
Speaking with newsmen, Sabrina Dhowre Elba said “People are listening, governments are stepping up, but not enough”.
The Somali-Canadian model added that “That´s why we´re here and continue banging doors … because we need to step up twice, three times, four times, five times as much because the need is there”.
“We need to have long-term solutions that help people step themselves up in an entrepreneurial way, get them out of poverty, give them a sense of pride and work,” she said.
On his part, Idris said: “I think the next challenge for us is to get private sector to participate. What drives me is the unjustness of half the world eating and half the world not eating, and half the world causing considerable damage to our planet and the other half not contributing (to climate change) but starving and suffering from that damage the most”
“That´s unjust. If this is a movie, those are the bad guys and these are good guys, you know, and so that´s what drives me,” said Elba.
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