US winner Grammy Kiara becomes a Benin citizen under the new Law on Slavery-Potomians

American singer Kiara has become one of the first public figures to receive Benin’s citizenship according to a new law offering nationality to the descendants of slaves.

In an Instagram post, the Grammy Award said it was “worshiped”, adding “Thank you Benin for opening my hands and heart.”

The citizenship scheme is part of an initiative of the small West African country to build links with the African diaspora and enhance cultural tourism.

Ciara, known for R&B and pop hits such as Goodies and 1,2 Step, has officially become a ceremony citizen in CotonouS

“This act, which is symbolic, humane and historical, is not just an administrative gesture. It is a gesture of the soul, a return to the roots of one’s, a hand expanded to those that history, in its brutality, has detached from this earth,” the government said in a statement on Monday after the ceremony.

Adopting the My Afro Origins Act last year, Benin joined countries such as Ghana and Guinea-Bisau, offering citizenship to people with African ancestor who was taken from their homeland as part of the transatlantic trade in slaves.

Descendants can apply to become a citizen through a A website recently launchedS

Only last week, Benin Appointed a famous American director Spike Lee and his wife Tonya Lewis Lee, an experienced producer and author, as his African-Americans ambassadors to the United StatesS

Benin’s coastline is part of what was once known as the slave shore – the main point of departure for enslaved Africans sent through the Atlantic to America.

Between 1580 and 1727, the Kingdom of Sauda, a major slave trade center located on the present coast of Benin, is thought to have exported more than a million Africans to the United States, the Caribbean and Brazil.