In 2025, singer Ciara received Beninese citizenship as a descendant of enslaved Africans, a symbolic homecoming celebrated at Ouidah’s “Door of No Return.” While such gestures are promoted as an act of healing and reconnection, they also highlight the complexities of diaspora citizenship programs across Africa. Countries like Benin, Ghana, and Sierra Leone are reconnecting with descendants through ancestry-based policies, but access often favors those with resources, and verification relies on expensive DNA testing and bureaucratic systems. There are also concerns that these initiatives can become marketing tools, commodifying heritage for tourism revenue while overlooking domestic inequalities. Critics argue that true reparative citizenship requires institutional support, shared governance, and collaboration with diasporas to transform symbolism into responsibility and justice.
The Conversation
