U.S. singer Ciara has become a citizen of Benin as part of the West African country’s initiatives encouraging people of African descent to reclaim their heritage.
Ciara acquired citizenship at a ceremony Saturday in the Benin city of Cotonou. In 2024, as part of moves to strengthen cultural and historical ties between Benin and descendants of the African Diaspora, the government passed a law offering nationality to diaspora descendants. It launched a website where the descendants of enslaved Africans can apply for citizenship.
Officials in Benin accept DNA tests, authenticated testimonies and family records, AP reported. Ciara became a citizen of the country under the above law.
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“On this year’s United Nations International Day of Women and Girls of African Descent, I was honored to receive Beninese citizenship, becoming the first person in the world granted nationality under this new initiative!” the Grammy-winning singer, known for hits such as Goodies and 1,2 Step, wrote on Instagram.
“To be welcomed by His Excellency President Patrice Talon, the Office of Benin Tourism, and the beautiful people of Benin is a moment I will never forget. Thank you Benin for opening your arms and your heart to me.”
Last week, Benin appointed acclaimed American filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, a producer, author, and civil rights activist, as its ambassadors for African Americans in the U.S.
Spike Lee and his wife will serve as “thematic” ambassadors, promoting Benin’s initiatives centered on reconnecting Afro-descendants with their roots in the West African country through culture, history, and heritage, as reported by Africa News.
Benin hopes that its latest moves will promote cultural tourism. The country’s coastline is part of what was once known as the Slave Coast, where enslaved Africans were shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.
AP reports that European merchants deported an estimated 1.5 million enslaved people from the Bight of Benin (present-day Benin, Togo and parts of Nigeria) to the Americas, with kings in Benin being involved in the inhumane practice.
After her citizenship ceremony, Ciara toured memorial sites, walking the Slave Route to the Door of No Return.
The government of Benin aims to attract Afro-descendants to these memorial sites, enabling them to learn more about their history and the struggles of their ancestors.
