Slave Descendants are Granted Citizenship by Benin

Nadege Anelka, a 57-year-old travel agent, claimed to have experienced a sense of déjà vu when she arrived in Benin, a country in West Africa, from her native island of Martinique, a French overseas territory in the Caribbean. “The way they wore their headscarves, their demeanors, and their mindset made me think of my grandparents,” she remarked. Last July, Anelka made the decision to establish a tourism firm and reside in Benin because she felt at home there. She intends to take advantage of a law that was passed in September that allows those who can trace their ancestry back to the slave trade to become citizens.

Anyone over the age of eighteen who does not currently possess another African citizenship and can substantiate that an ancestor was deported through the slave trade from any location in sub-Saharan Africa is eligible to apply for the statute. DNA testing, verified testimonials, and family records are accepted by Beninese authorities.

Anelka traced her ancestry using “Anchoukaj” (meaning “Affiliation” in Antillean Creole), a website approved by Benin, demonstrating that her ancestors were slaves in Martinique. She will be granted a temporary certificate of nationality that is good for three years if her application is accepted. She must visit Benin at least once during that time in order to obtain citizenship.

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