Idris Alba took on the challenging role of playing South African icon Nelson Mandela in the biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. And while he never got to meet Mandela as he was very ill at the time, he has clearly been touched by the life story of this giant of a man.
He has created a musical about life in South Africa after the passing of Nelson Mandela which will premiere at a festival in Manchester next year. Called Tree, his co-creator is Kwame Kwei-Armah, the artistic director of London's Young Vic. Elba has been quoted as saying, ”We've both experienced personal moments of healing connected with the country and we're starting to explore that together. For me, an interesting part of the process is looking at the next part of the story; the new universe that sprung up after Mandela.” Elba went on to say that he and Kwei-Armah, who have known each other since their 20s, used his album Mi Mandela as a springboard for the project.
Idris Alba and Kwame Kwei-Armah, the artistic director of London's Young Vic.
The work, which features music, dance and film, will be performed at the Manchester International Festival (MIF) in July. The festival will be opened by John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, who will also be performing.
SOURCE:Sky News
