The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II graciously invited actor Idris Elba to attend the Akwasidae festival at Manhyia Palace while he was in Ghana, and Elba has talked favourably of the Ashanti Kingdom and that honour on The Late Show hosted by Stephen Colbert.
The actor claimed that he was shocked to receive a visitation invitation from Asantehene, a major admirer of his, while he was filming his gold documentary.
The actor was invited by the Ashanti King, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the introductory Akwasidae of this year.
Idris said, “while I was there in the Ashanti Kingdom which is Kumasi, the King, the Ashanti King said Hey, I’m a big fan. Why don’t you come to my yearly precession where I meet all of my kingdom, of which is a very vast kingdom. And he said please come down and say Hi. 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.
He said, “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 actor cum musician stated that at the end of the day he was glad he did not mess it up regardless of it being his first time experiencing the festival and having to dress up in a Kente Cloth. He added “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.”
Idris Elba proceeded with his crew to take shots of the events which may later be included in this documentary in the pipeline.
Anita Zuuri
Annie is an entertainment and lifestyle writer. She enjoys reading and writing about music, celebrities and their lifestyles, food, cars and tech.