Additional Coverage:
- Benin grants citizenship to descendants of enslaved people. U.S. singer Ciara is among the first (latimes.com)
Singer Ciara Becomes Citizen of Benin, Highlighting Nation’s Reckoning with Slave Trade Legacy
Grammy-winning artist Ciara has become one of the first public figures to gain Beninese citizenship under a new law granting citizenship to descendants of enslaved people. The ceremony, held Saturday in Cotonou, is part of Benin’s initiative to connect with the Black diaspora, acknowledge its role in the transatlantic slave trade, and promote tourism centered around sites of remembrance.
Benin’s Justice Minister, Yvon Détchénou, described the move as “healing a historical wound,” an “act of justice,” and a beacon of “belonging and hope.”
The new law, passed in September, offers citizenship to individuals over 18 who do not hold other African citizenships and can demonstrate lineage to the slave trade. Acceptable proof includes DNA tests, authenticated testimonials, and family records.
A new digital platform, My Afro Origins, launched last week, facilitates application processing. While other nations have offered similar pathways to citizenship, Benin’s initiative holds particular significance given its prominent role in the historical slave trade.
An estimated 1.5 million enslaved people were transported from the Bight of Benin (encompassing modern-day Benin, Togo, and parts of Nigeria) to the Americas. Beninese kings were active participants in this trade, capturing and selling people to European merchants.
Benin has taken significant steps to reconcile with this past, openly acknowledging its complicity—a stance not universally adopted by other African nations involved in the trade. Past efforts include a 1990s international conference examining the slave trade and a formal apology to African Americans by then-President Mathieu Kérékou in 1999.
“Memorial tourism” focused on the legacy of the slave trade has become a key element of Benin’s outreach to Afro-descendants. Sites in Ouidah, a major slave-trading port in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as the Slave Route and the Door of No Return, offer poignant opportunities for reflection and remembrance. Sindé Chekete, head of Benin’s tourism agency, believes these sites provide a powerful connection to ancestral history, potentially inspiring some to “return to Africa and choose Benin to understand this history.”
Following the ceremony, Ciara toured Ouidah, walking the Slave Route to the Door of No Return, an experience she described as a “profound return to what truly matters.” The singer, known for hits like “Goodies” and “Level Up,” her choreography, and her work in fashion and philanthropy, adds her voice to the growing recognition of Benin’s historical reckoning.