By Abu Hassan
Cotonou, Benin – American Grammy-winning artist Ciara has become one of the first high-profile figures to be granted citizenship of Benin, under a groundbreaking new law designed to reconnect with the African diaspora and significantly boost cultural tourism.
The “Goodies” and “1,2 Step” singer announced her new status in an Instagram post, expressing her profound honor and gratitude. “Thank you Benin for opening your arms and your heart to me,” she wrote, following an official ceremony in the city of Cotonou.
Ciara’s naturalization is a key part of Benin’s “My Afro Origins Law,” enacted last year, which offers nationality to individuals who can trace their ancestry back to those torn from their homeland during the transatlantic slave trade. The initiative aims to forge stronger cultural and economic ties with descendants scattered across the globe.
In a statement released Monday, the Beninese government described the gesture as “symbolic, humane and historic.” It added, “This act is not merely an administrative gesture. It is a gesture of the soul, a return to one’s roots, a hand extended to those whom history, in its brutality, had torn from this land.”
Benin joins countries like Ghana and Guinea-Bissau in implementing such a scheme, allowing descendants to apply for citizenship via a recently launched dedicated website. The move underscores a broader pan-African effort to acknowledge and rectify historical injustices.
The West African nation is actively leveraging its rich, though painful, history to attract visitors and investment. Just last week, Benin appointed renowned American filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife, producer and author Tonya Lewis Lee, as its ambassadors for African-Americans in the United States, further signaling its commitment to engaging the diaspora.
Benin’s coastline was once a major part of what was known as the Slave Coast, a primary departure points for enslaved Africans shipped across the Atlantic. Historically, the Kingdom of Whydah, a significant slave-trading hub on present-day Benin’s coast, is estimated to have forcibly exported over a million Africans to the Americas, the Caribbean, and Brazil between 1580 and 1727. Through initiatives like the “My Afro Origins Law,” Benin seeks to transform this legacy into a bridge of connection and reconciliation.
