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American singer Ciara was officially granted Beninese citizenship during a ceremony on Saturday, becoming one of the first public figures to benefit from a new law offering nationality to descendants of enslaved people.
The Grammy-winning artist’s new citizenship is part of Benin’s wider effort to engage the global Black diaspora, recognise its historical role in the transatlantic slave trade, and promote tourism centred on slavery remembrance sites.
“The significance of this moment and what it means is so special, so powerful, and I feel inspired,” Ciara said during her speech at the event.
Benin’s Minister of Justice and Legislation, Yvon Detchenou, also addressed the gathering, highlighting the responsibility of new citizens to act as cultural ambassadors and champions of unity.
“By reconnecting with your roots, you are repairing a part of the world and offering your society a chance to build, to rebuild itself on these values, on these republican values that we will now share together,” Detchenou said.
Earlier, on 23 July, the Beninese government named renowned filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, as thematic ambassadors to the Afro-descendant diaspora in the United States.
The pair will support government initiatives that aim to reconnect Afro-descendants with their Beninese heritage through cultural, historical, and ancestral ties. Tonya Lewis Lee is also in the process of acquiring Beninese citizenship under the same new law.
