African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has announced Idris Elba as one of the speakers at this year’s edition of the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend (CANEX WKND 2022).
Scheduled for 25 to 27 November in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, the event will be a prominent gathering of creatives, potential investors, industry leaders, creative industry businesses and government representatives, enabling business to business and business to government networking and deal making opportunities. It will also serve as an avenue for participants to equip themselves with creative insights from renowned voices in Africa’s creative economy.
Elba will participate in a talk-debate entitled “When the giants speak” on Saturday, November 26, where he will share his wealth of experience and knowledge on the global film industry. The multi-award-winning English actor and musician joins a list of over 100 top speakers from Africa and the diaspora representing a wide range of creative industries.
Elba, who is of Sierra Leone and Ghanaian descent, represents the resounding success of people of African heritage in the global entertainment industry. He is acclaimed for his role as Nelson Mandela in the biopic Mandela: Long March to Freedom, Stringer Bell in the HBO series The Wire, and DCI John Luther in the BBC series One Luther.
The 3-day gathering of creatives from across Africa and the diaspora, presented by the African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) in partnership with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire. “CANEX WKND is a major milestone in the bank’s implementation of its Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme; a multi-faceted intervention aimed at supporting and developing Africa’s rapidly growing creative and cultural industries,” a statement reads
Activities will feature: a range of exciting live performances from some of Africa and the diaspora’s top musicians and performers, in-depth panel discussions, capacity building through Masterclasses and educational programmes, arts exhibition, B2B networking.
Other top industry experts confirmed for the event include Didier Drogba, Retired Professional Footballer; Alex Okosi, Regional Director of Emerging Markets, EMEA at YouTube; Elvis Adidiema, Director, Sony Music for Francophone Africa; Abdul-Karim Abdullah, Founder and Managing Director of Culture Management Group (CMG) and Afrochella Festival; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Author; Yemi Alade.
The sessions are open to all registered CANEX WKND delegates as well as all master classes starting on Thursday, November 24. For more information and to register for free, visitwww. CANEX. Africa.