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Idris Elba aims to ‘reframe’ Africa with smart city in Sierra Leone

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British actor, Idris Elba, has embarked on a project aimed at “reframing” Africa with the construction of a smart city in Sierra Leone, which he says will change the stereotypical perception of Africa.

The movie star, who has roots in the West African country, announced that he was building the eco-city on the rural Sherbro Island off the coast of West Africa along with Siaka Stevens, a grandson of Sierra Leone’s former president who bore the same name.

In a statement on the audacious project, Elba said he and Stevens are partnering with the renewable energy company, Octopus Energy Generation.

According to a statement by his management team, on completion, the island city will have a wind and solar farm to provide power to its residents.

“Are we ever gonna make a profit? I don’t think so, but it is about being self-reliant, it’s about bringing an economy that feeds itself, that has growth potential,” Elba told the BBC Newsday.

“Currently, less than a third of homes in Sierra Leone have electricity.

“I’m very keen to sort of reframe the way Africa is viewed. We often view the framing of Africa as an aid model and this opportunity is completely different,” he stated.

Elba added that his vision of changing the perception of Africa as an aid model is to make the eco-city to “attract business and innovation, while also appealing to holidaymakers and empowering local communities.”

The actor Hollywood A-list actor said he also plans to set up a film studio in the city along with a retirement home for his mother.

For the records, Elba’s mother is a Ghanaian while his late father was a Sierra Leonean who migrated to the UK where he met Elba’s mother who was a student at the time.

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African men run away from single mothers— Joselyn Dumas

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Veteran Ghanaian actress and media personality, Joselyn Dumas, has lamented the fact that most African men shy away from getting married to single mothers due to the added responsibilities they will be saddled with.

The actress who made the assertion in her recent podcast, “Keeping it Real with Joselyn Dumas, The Perfect Picture”, opened up on the challenges of many single mothers who are struggling to find a partner because of societal biases.

In the podcast, Dumas who shared a personal story of a male friend whom she said refused to settle down with a lady because she had a child.

According to her, the friend named Anthony, firmly stated that it wasn’t his thing to be with a ‘born one’ or ‘born two’.

“He said B1, B2, I’m not in and I said to myself, ‘this is the reason why a lot of single mothers are single with their children.

“Now his reason was, why am I going to raise somebody’s child? That’s not my bloodline. He doesn’t have my DNA in him. Why am I now going to help someone’s bloodline grow? What about mine?” she said.

Dumas who is a single mother, noted that Anthony’s mindset is a “reflection of the views of a larger majority of people who don’t want to have meaningful relationship with single mothers.”

She also criticised what she termed as the double standard in society’s views on raising non-biological children, arguing that it should not be seen differently from adoption.

“I have a child but these men won’t even ask you, they don’t even care why you have a child. You’ve had seven miscarriages when you got married. You meet a guy, you were dating and you got pregnant, are you going to abort the baby because you aren’t married?

“He doesn’t want the child, are you going to throw the child away? No! You can raise the child. It takes a village to raise the child, so even if you don’t have a job, you will get support. This is part of the sacrifice you have to make regardless of what has happened,” she said.

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Namibia govt condemns tourists posing naked on Big Daddy Dune

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The Namibian authorities have frowned at tourists who posed naked at the Big Daddy Dune, the country’s top tourist attraction located in the Namibian desert.

Reports in the country’s media say locals were shocked to sight the tourists posing naked on the Dune during a safari and have demanded for action against them from authorities.

According to local media, actions that could be taken against the tourists include being blacklisted from entering any of Namibia’s parks.

A spokesperson from the country’s Tourism Ministry told local media that photos and a video from of the naked tourists have been widely shared, sparking sharp reactions.

Vice Chairperson of the Federation of Namibian Tourism Associations, Kenneth Nependa, who condemned the act, told journalists that the behaviour risked attracting tourists “who think anything goes in Namibia.”

“It is very sickening and it really creates a bad image for Namibia,” Nependa said, adding that the Big Daddy Dune was not just a relaxing place for tourists but for families too.

Though it is not clear who took the photos and the video of the three male tourists who were seen stark naked in the sandy dune, next to their clothes, authorities say a stern action will be taken against them.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Romeo Muyunda, described the behaviour as “extremely shocking,” saying it was public indecency punishable by Namibian law.

“We appeal to that section of tourists to summon the conscience so that they do the right things,” Muyunda said.

He appealed to Namibians to report violations of park regulations immediately for swift action.

The Big Daddy dune is one of the three largest dunes in Namibia’s enormous Namib-Naukluft National Park, one of the largest in the world and are popular with tourists who hike to the top to have a stunning view across the crests.

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