Actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish has disclosed plans to help revive the economy of her home country, Eritrea, days after she joined the Horn of Africa nation in its independence festivities.
For years, the Eritrean economy has been struggling due to factors like war, authoritarian rule and sanctions imposed by the United Nations. The country is also one of the poorest in Africa, with a mostly agriculture-based economy, reports the BBC.
After reuniting with its neighbour, Ethiopia, and the lifting of sanctions, observers say the economy of Eritrea would likely begin to develop.
In an interview with U.S.-based Black Tree TV, Haddish, who has always spoken passionately about her Eritrean heritage and her strong bond with her family back home, said she is looking at ways to rebuild the economy of her home country.
“I am probably going to open up a resort there, redo the movie theatres there, bringing the economy back up to the level that it should be at,” she said.
At the moment, about 1.5 million Eritreans live overseas, usually after escaping the country’s military service and repression.
Born in Los Angeles to an African-American mother and an Eritrean father who entered the United States as a refugee, Haddish was recently in her father’s home country of Eritrea to join in their week-long independence festivities.
Earlier, last year, the Girls Trip star visited the Horn of Africa nation in what was an emotional homecoming to bury her father and also meet and connect with her relatives.
Leading up to her return home this year, Haddish shared her excitement of returning and her eagerness to meet her family and people in a video.
“Guess what? I’m going to Asmara for independence day,” she said in a video before excitedly ululating. “I’m expecting good food, fun, camaraderie, see my family and people, you know, just good times,” she added.
Haddish also had something to smile about and make her feel more at home as her application for an Eritrean ID card got approved, making her officially an Eritrean citizen.
She shared her excitement over the development while speaking about her latest production in the video below:
