Idris Elba given Sierra Leone citizenship on first visit

Idris Elba

Idris Elba has been given citizenship of his father's native Sierra Leone.

The British film star landed in the capital Freetown on Wednesday for his first visit to the country.
Elba told the BBC's Umaru Fofana that citizenship was "the biggest honour I could get from my country".

"I'm no stranger to Africa: I've been in Africa, I've made films in Africa, I've championed Africa," he said. "But Sierra Leone, it's a very different feeling because it's my parent's home."

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"The welcome has been incredible, and I've plugged straight into that energy that I think Sierra Leone is rising with. "The son of the soil is coming back to fertilise the soil."