Dakar, Senegal (AP) – American singer Kiara is one of the first public figures to become a Benin citizen according to a recent law by the small West African country, providing citizenship to descendants of enslaved people.
The acquisition of the Grammy Citizenship performer at a Saturday ceremony in Kotonu is part of Benin’s broader initiative to attract the black diaspora, recognizes the country’s role in transatlantic slave trade and promotes tourism focused on slavery determination.
“By legitimically recognizing these children of Africa, Benin heals a historical wound. It is an act of justice, but also of affiliation and hope,” said Justice Minister Yvon Detchene at the ceremony.
Here’s what we know about Benin’s efforts to welcome the descendants of enslaved people:
The African-Study Citizenship Act of Benin
In September, Benin passed a law providing citizenship to those who could follow their genealogy to slave trade.
It is open to anyone over 18, who no longer owns other African citizenship and can provide proof that the ancestor has been deported through the slave trade from anywhere in Africa of Subsahara. Benite authorities accept DNA tests, certified certificates 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 provide citizenship to descendants of enslaved people, the law of citizenship is added to him, partly because of the role he plays in the transatlantic trade in slaves.
National reading with his role in the slave trade
European traders have deported approximately 1.5 million enslaved people from the battle of Benin-Region, which includes present-day Benin, Togo and parts of Nigeria-in America.
The Benin Kings actively participated in the recording and sale of enslaved people in Portuguese, French and British traders. The former kingdoms and the communities they have attacked still exist as tribal networks.
Benin has long worked to coordinate with his inheritance of complicity. He openly recognized his role in the slave trade, a position that is not shared by many other African nations that participated.
In the 1990s, he hosted an international conference to explore how and where enslaved people were sold. In 1999, then-President Mateo Kereku apologized to the African Americans during a visit to a church in Baltimore.
“Memorial Tourism”
In addition, national regard, the “memorial tourism” surrounding the legacy of slave trade has become a key approach to Benin’s government to attract Africo-pots.
Memorial sites are mostly in the Ouida, one of the most active slaves trade in Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. These include the slave route, which was the path that marked the enslaved last journey of the people to the ships, and the door without return, a ghost door that opens to the Atlantic, where Africa left, and their families were the last time.
Sinde Checke, Head of Benin’s State Tourist Agency, said these sites allow African-supplies to learn and honor the struggles and sustainability of their ancestors.
“It can inspire some people to say,” I want to go back to Africa and choose Benin to understand this story, “Cekete said.
After her citizenship ceremony, Kiara toured the historic city, where she walked the slave route to the door without return.
“Between emotion, reflection and inheritance, I felt a deep return to what really matters,” she said.
Ciara is best known for the hits on the top of the diagram such as “Goodies” and “Level Up”, its dynamic choreography and its work in fashion and philanthropy.
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Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa