Actor Idris Elba recently returned from hosting 21 students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities on an excursion to South Africa for Coca-Cola's first "Open Happiness Tour."

"This was a life-changing and moving experience for me," Elba told BV Buzz. "I've been to Africa a couple of times since my father was from Ghana and mother Sierra Leone, but this was one of the most moving and powerful trips I've ever had."

The HBCU students hosted by the star of films like 'Obsessed' and 'Daddy's Little Girls' were selected after participating in a video competition to describe how they were inspired by the Coca-Cola RAIN program – Coca-Cola's 'Water for Schools"campaign for schoolchildren in Africa and around the world.

As a part of their trip to South Africa, the students attended a FIFA World Cup game, toured the Nelson Mandela National Museum, visited the Constitutional Court Building (the prison where Nelson Mandela was locked up) and went on a safari.
While all of the experiences were great, Elba said one of the most moving aspects of the trip was the group's visit to a local grade school in Soweto, where the students performed an impromptu talent show for the students as a display of love.

"Watching the students grow in awareness and seeing how much we take for granted was so refreshing and an honor for me to be a part of their experience. Thanks to Coca-Cola, we now have 21 new leaders who will make a difference in our world," added the actor, who stars next in the movie 'Takers.'

Coca-Cola intends to make its Open Happiness Tour an annual event moving forward.


For related stories, read also: 'VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: One on One with Idris Elba at American Black Film Festival'

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