Citizens of western nations with African heritage are set to take advantage of new legislation from the West African nation of Benin that grants Beninese nationality to the descendants of enslaved Africans.
The law's text, set to be approved by Benin's President Patrice Talon, will allow "any person who, according to their genealogy, has an African, sub-Saharan ancestor deported as part of the slave trade" to obtain a Beninese passport.
The legislation was adopted by parliament on July 30 and is Benin's latest attempt to attract people drawn to their cultural and historical roots on the African continent.
Millions of enslaved Africans departed from the shores of West Africa, many from Benin's beaches, to different western countries.
'Closer to home'
Lilith Dorsey, an American citizen living in New Orleans, says she will be making use of the opportunity to "feel closer to her homeland."
"What the government of Benin has done is extraordinary and will bring us closer to our brothers here," Dorsey told the news agency AFP.
Beninise officials say the law is a response to the difficulties of "the search for identity faced by Afro-descendants."
Nathan Debos, another American citizen intent on taking Beninese citizenship, plans to make a pilgrimage in January 2025 to attend a Beninese festival known locally as Vodun.
"We have too many problems with racism, and it is difficult for us to feel at home," Debos, 30, said, and he was "delighted that Benin extends its hands out warmly to us and embraces us."
The government is already promoting the country's culture as a way to bring in more foreign tourists, notably the descendants of slaves.
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