Actors Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre Elba say their parents were the driving force behind their own activism today, which focuses on food security.
Idris Elba was inspired by his father’s work in the Ford union and the stories he told him about where he worked for many years.
“I remember my father didn’t get any extra money for being in the union. He just took so much pride in fighting for those who didn’t have a voice and, you know, fighting the guy,” Elba told CNBC Bryer’s Tania on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“We’re privileged to be able to speak and that’s why my dad really encouraged me to do it,” Elba added.
Elba said he came from a “humble” background as both his parents left their villages to “dream big”. His main motivation for working hard and working early in life is to fulfill those dreams, he said.
“It really allows me, in my privileged seat, which I’m doing now, just to remember where I’m from and where there are people out there who would like to or who would like, you know, fight against poverty and don’t have a vote for it. So that’s what really inspires me,” Elba said.
For Sabrina Dhowre Elba, it was her mother who shaped her urge to give back, she said.
“For me, my mother is everything,” Dhowre Elba told CNBC. “Their stories and their passion have really just flowed into everything I do,” she added.
She also introduced the Elba couple for the first time to the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development, for which they are now goodwill ambassadors, Sabrina explained. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the pair were among the winners of the annual Crystal Award, which recognizes artists who are also role models for global leaders.
A trip to Sierra Leone also inspired her because of the stories she heard from local people, Dhowre Elba explained. “It’s been a life-changing journey for me,” she said. “Why I go on field visits with the organization so often is to really remember that small things can make such big changes.”