Lowering My Kente Before Otumfuo Was A Sign Of Respect – Idris Elba

British actor Idris Elba has described his visit to the Manhyia Palace during his time in Ghana as captivating.

Idris Elba was at Manhyia Palace on Sunday, February 6, to pay homage to Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II  during the Akwasidae.

Speaking on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert back in the UK on March 8, the actor said that he was surprised when he received an invite to visit the Asantehene, who is a huge fan of his, while he was filming his documentary on gold.

He was invited to join Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the first Akwasidae of 2023 – a first for him.

Idris Elba told Stephen Colbert, “so when you meet the king, typically 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.”

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 noted that he was nervous when meeting the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II for the first time, especially since he was not familiar with how to keep the Kente cloth stable.

.@idriselba shares his experience meeting the Ashanti king on his trip to Ghana. 👑 #Colbert pic.twitter.com/6l8xrAGRZm

— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) March 9, 2023

“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 not to 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.”

The British actor who trails his root to the west African states of Ghana and Sierra Leon led his movie production crew to Ghana to take shots of the events for his shoot.