Ciara is one of the first public figures to become a citizen of Benin under a recent law by the small West African country. The law aims to grant citizenship to descendants of enslaved people. The honor and follow-up ceremony are part of Benin’s broader initiative to attract the Black diaspora back home.
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Ciara Is Called Home!
The Grammy-winning performer acquired her Benin citizenship at a ceremony in Cotonou on Saturday (July 26), per the Associated Press. The move is part of the country’s initiative to attract the Black diaspora, acknowledge its role in the transatlantic slave trade, and promote tourism focused on slavery-related sites of remembrance.
“By legally recognizing these children of Africa, Benin is healing a historical wound. It is an act of justice, but also one of belonging and hope,” Justice Minister Yvon Détchénou said at Ciara’s ceremony.
Following her citizenship ceremony, Ciara toured the historic city. There, she walked the Slave Route to the Door of No Return.” Between emotion, reflection, and heritage, I experienced a profound return to what truly matters,” she said. The singer now has the same rights as any other citizen in Benin.
More Details About Benin’s Citizenship Initiative
In September, Benin passed a law granting citizenship to those whose lineage can be traced to the slave trade. It is open to anyone above 18 who doesn’t already hold another African citizenship. The individual also has to provide proof that the slave trade deported or an ancestor from anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa. Beninese authorities accept DNA tests, authenticated testimonies, and family records. Last week, the government launched My Afro Origins, the digital platform that processes applications.
While Benin is not the first country to grant citizenship to descendants of enslaved people, its citizenship law carries added significance. Part of that is because of the role Benin played in the transatlantic slave trade.
What Role Did The African Country Play In The Slave Trade?
European merchants deported an estimated 1.5 million enslaved people from the Bight of Benin to the Americas. That region includes present-day Benin, Togo, and parts of Nigeria. Beninese kings actively participated in capturing and selling enslaved people to Portuguese, French and British merchants. The former kingdoms and the communities they raided still exist today as tribal networks.
Benin has long been working to reconcile with its tainted legacy. It has openly acknowledged its role in the slave trade, a stance not shared by many other African nations that participated.
In the 1990s, it hosted an international conference to examine how and where enslaved people were sold. In 1999, then-President Mathieu Kérékou apologized to African Americans during a visit to a church in Baltimore.
Additionally, “memorial tourism” has been an approach by Benin’s government to attract Afro-descendants. Memorial sites are primarily in Ouidah, one of Africa’s most active slave-trading ports in the 18th and 19th centuries. One site is the Slave Route, which was the path marking enslaved people’s final journey to ships. Another site is the Door of No Return, a haunting doorway that opens to the Atlantic Ocean–the last stop before slave traders forced Africans to leave their homes and families behind.
Associated Press writer Mark Banchereau contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
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