Idris Elba fans are in an uproar at his placement on The Africa Report’s resurfaced 2019 list of “The Most Influential Africans.” The publication compiles a list of notable individuals across technology, business, entertainment, and a number of other industries as a representation of leaders representing the diaspora.
While fans did not detest Elba landing at No. 24 per se, they did, however, cry foul after noting that Elon Musk was ranked No. 2. Musk landed on the “Créme de la Créme” portion of the list, otherwise recognized as the top 10.
Trending Today:
- ‘Don’t Let Your People Gas You Up’: Daymond John Doubles Down on Why He Served Former ‘Shark Tank’ Contestants with a Restraining Order for Voicing Their Opinion About His Business Practices Online
- Shaquille O’Neal Sets the Record Straight About Sliding Into Kerry Washington’s DMs Months After Directing His Energy at Influencers
- ‘That Explains Why He Act Like That’: Fans Say It All Makes Sense After King Harris Reveals That He Did Not Live with Parents T.I. and Tiny During Filming of Their Family Reality Series
“He may be a maverick, but his ideas are shaping the future, from reducing global warming with his electric cars to urban transportation on a cushion of air and plans to establish a colony on Mars,” wrote the outlet. Comedian Trevor Noah and Nigerian-American singer Davido rounded out the top 10, respectively, securing the No. 5 and 7 spots.
The Apple TV+ “Hijack” star is listed under “Leading Voices.”
“The Londoner, whose parents are Sierra Leonean and Ghanaian, has had a global reach via his starring role in cult HBO series ‘The Wire.’ Since then, his illustrious career has repeatedly taken him to the continent for films, including ‘Sometimes in April’ about the Rwandan genocide, ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,’ for which he received a Golden Globe nomination, and ‘Beasts of No Nation,’ shot in Ghana and based on the novel by Uzodinma Iweala,” reads the synopsis on his influence.
@elonmusk ready for the limelight? What do you think, Idris Elba or Denzel Washington for your role? pic.twitter.com/yZ2MDar995
— Dakota Bartell (@dbartell59) June 13, 2023
Those outraged by the list wrote, “Chile. Who put the son of the apartheid master on there?”
Musk, who took over ownership of X (formerly known as Twitter) in April 2022 for $44 billion, was raised in South Africa by his parents, Errol Musk, who is from the African country, and his Canadian mother, Maye Haldeman.
He grew up in Johannesburg under apartheid, largely insulated from the mistreatment of Black South Africans. His father claims his son was not shielded from the realities of the government’s Jim Crow-like policies.
Another detractor wrote, “Just because your white parents settled in Africa does not make you African!” And a third commented, “Idris being only being 24 is crazy to me that man put both his feet in them movies and yall gon disrespect him like that ?!”
Elba’s fans were equally outraged in July after a publication mistakenly referred to actor Damson Idris as his brother. Although they share a name, the two men are not related. The “Snowfall” star, however, in the past has said that his fellow British actor has been a mentor to him.
