Idris Elba, a British actor travelling in Ghana, found the Manhyia Castle to be fascinating.
The actor claimed during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he was taken aback when asked to visit Asantehene, a major fan of his, while he was filming his documentary on gold.
For the first time ever, he was asked to accompany Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to the first Akwasidae of the year 2023.
Idris Elba said “so I showed up in my jeans. They were like, no, ‘you got to wear this kente cloth’. It was a really fascinating day. I mean, it was beautiful and the tradition was rich.”
He admitted that he felt anxious while seeing Otumfuo Osei Tutu II for the first time, particularly because he was unsure of how to maintain the stability of the Kente cloth.
Idris Elba told Stephen Colbert that “so when you meet the king, typically what you have to drop the kente cloth shoulder down a little bit and then shake the King’s hand. It’s part of the tradition like a symbol of respect.”
“This is the first time I’m wearing it and underneath, you just got your shorts on. And my thing kept unravelling. I was like, ‘oh, man, I’m going to meet the king, and it’s going to fall off me and be standing there in my boxers’.”
The Luther actor said he was glad to not have had any mishap occur adding “I did my thing gently. It was actually a really beautiful time. I don’t mean to make fun of it. It was very beautiful.”
In honour of the February Akwasidea, Idris Elba visited Manhyia Palace on Sunday to pay respects to Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and Asantehemaa Nana Konadu Yiadom III.
He directed the film team to take pictures of the activities for his shoot.
