COTONOU, Benin (BN24) — Grammy-winning American singer Ciara has become one of the first public figures to receive Beninese citizenship under a landmark new law that grants nationality to descendants of enslaved people. The ceremony took place Saturday in the coastal city of Cotonou, marking a symbolic and emotional return to ancestral roots for the acclaimed performer and signaling a broader movement by the West African nation to reconcile with its role in the transatlantic slave trade.
“By legally recognizing these children of Africa, Benin is healing a historical wound,” Justice Minister Yvon Détchénou said during the citizenship ceremony. “It is an act of justice, but also one of belonging and hope.”
Benin’s new Afro-descendant citizenship law, passed in September, extends nationality to anyone over the age of 18 who can trace their lineage to enslaved people taken from sub-Saharan Africa. Applicants must not already hold citizenship in another African country and must provide proof of ancestry through DNA testing, documented testimony, or authenticated family records. A new digital platform, My Afro Origins, was launched last week to facilitate the application process.
While several African nations have offered symbolic citizenship or residency programs for diaspora communities, Benin’s initiative carries unique weight. The country was a major departure point for enslaved people taken from the Bight of Benin—an area that includes present-day Benin, Togo, and parts of Nigeria—and sent across the Atlantic to the Americas. Historians estimate that more than 1.5 million enslaved people were trafficked through this region.
Beninese royalty played an active role in the slave trade, capturing and selling individuals to Portuguese, French, and British traders. The country has since taken public steps to acknowledge and reconcile with this past—steps few African governments have mirrored. In the 1990s, Benin hosted an international conference on the transatlantic slave trade, and in 1999, then-President Mathieu Kérékou issued a formal apology to African Americans during a visit to a church in Baltimore.
In recent years, Benin has also promoted what it calls memorial tourism—encouraging people of African descent to visit historical slave trade sites and connect with their heritage. Most of these landmarks are located in Ouidah, once a major slave port. Among them is the Slave Route, a path tracing the final steps of the enslaved before boarding ships, and the haunting Door of No Return, an arched monument facing the Atlantic Ocean.
Following her naturalization ceremony, Ciara walked the Slave Route to the Door of No Return, reflecting on the experience in a statement.
“Between emotion, reflection and heritage, I experienced a profound return to what truly matters,” she said.
Ciara, known for her chart-topping hits “Goodies” and “Level Up,” as well as her work in fashion and philanthropy, is now among the first to benefit from Benin’s outreach to the African diaspora. Officials say they hope more descendants will follow her lead in reclaiming ties to their ancestral homeland.
Sindé Chekete, director of Benin’s state tourism agency, said the country’s memorial sites are designed to both educate and inspire.
“This initiative gives Afro-descendants the opportunity to learn about and honor the struggles of their ancestors,” he said. “It may inspire some to return to Africa—and to choose Benin—to understand this history.”
The Associated Press
