The Grammy-winning performer's acquisition of citizenship at a ceremony in the city of Cotonou is part of a broader initiative by Benin to attract the Black diaspora, acknowledge the country's role in the transatlantic slave trade and promote tourism focused on slavery-related sites of remembrance.

US Grammy winner Ciara becomes one of the first public figures to gain Benin citizenship under My Afro Origins Law.

Photo: Getty Images North America Grammy award-winning singer Ciara is among the first public figures to be granted citizenship in the West African country of Benin under a new law offering nationality to descendants of enslaved people.