Already a Beninese citizen, American singer Ciara is soon to be joined by her husband, former NFL star quarterback Russell Wilson, who is in the process of obtaining Beninese citizenship, according to information gathered from corroborating sources.
Ciara was naturalised as a Beninese citizen in 2025 under a unique legal mechanism established by the authorities in Cotonou to recognise people of African descent whose ancestors were deported during the transatlantic slave trade. The law defines an 'Afro-descendant' as any person who can establish, through their genealogy, that a sub-Saharan ancestor was deported from Africa as part of the slave trade. Presented as a gesture of remembrance and historical reconnection, this policy is also a conscious political choice: to make Benin an anchor point for an African-American diaspora in search of recognition and narrative.
The scheme is supervised and 'operationalised' by institutional and para-institutional channels, notably via the My Afro Origins platform, which specifies the eligibility criteria and the procedures for proving ancestry. It is part of a strategy whereby the Beninese state combines remembrance policy, cultural tourism and soft power.
For several years now, the country has been seeking to transform its historical heritage into a diplomatic, cultural and tourist asset. This approach involves re-examining places and practices that have long been marginalised, foremost among which are Ouidah and Vodun. Vodun Days, created and supported by the State, is one of the pillars of this strategy.
Held from 8 to 10 January 2026 in Ouidah, the event aims to move vodun away from its folkloric representation and place it in a contemporary heritage context, combining traditional ceremonies, artistic creations and international programming. In Ouidah, a former slave port that has become a place of remembrance, Vodun Days contributes to the development of a narrative that combines the history of the slave trade, spirituality and dialogue with the diaspora. Several international artists have been involved, including Angélique Kidjo and Davido, with the aim of raising the event's global profile.
After becoming a naturalised citizen in July 2025, singer and entrepreneur Ciara has already visited memorial sites linked to the slave trade, including the Slave Route and the 'Gate of No Return', a symbolic sequence widely promoted by the Beninese authorities as an illustration of the dialogue sought with the diaspora.
Invited to perform at the 2026 edition of Vodun Days in early January, the singer took to the stage on 9 January in Ouidah, on the second day of the event, in front of a large audience who had come to see the neo-Amazon. Her eagerly awaited performance was based on a masterful stage design, featuring understated lighting effects and meticulously choreographed dance routines performed by a group of dancers in constant dialogue with the stage. The overall effect was a blend of contemporary pop aesthetics and local symbolic references. The highlight came with Level Up, sung in chorus by the audience, a suspended moment where the collective energy gave the performance a festive and meaningful scope, resonating with the spiritual and memorial setting of Vodun Days.
The naturalisation of media personalities such as Ciara — and soon, according to the same sources, Russell Wilson — gives international visibility to a policy that is still in its early stages. By linking rights, memory and major cultural events, Benin is attempting to place the issue of Afro-descendants at the heart of its cultural diplomacy, turning its past into a tool for influence rather than simply a commemorative legacy, explains a consultant involved in the country's branding strategy.
