The country or Benin has appointed American filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, a seasoned producer and author, as its ambassadors for African Americans in the US, which coincides with the country offering people of African descent a chance to visit and claim their citizenship if eligible.

Benin’s southern coast has a horrific racist history. The country was known as the Slave Coast, a departure point for slaves where, for over 100 years, an average of 10,000 slaves a year were shipped to the Americas.

The name is derived from the region’s history as a major source of African people sold into slavery during the Atlantic slave trade from the early 16th century to the late 19th century. 

This coastal area became a major hub for the export of enslaved Africans to the Americas. European powers, including the Portuguese, British, Dutch, Danish, and French, established forts and trading posts in the region to facilitate the slave trade.

The couple is expected to serve as “thematic” ambassadors, raising awareness and supporting initiatives to promote Benin’s ties with people of African descent.

The agreement was finalised during their visit to Cotonou, the seat of Benin’s government, last week, French public broadcaster RFI reported.

The government says it will help reconnect “people of African descent around the world to their historical, cultural, and spiritual roots.”

The Lees’ appointment follows Tonya’s 2024 visit to Benin and her application through the country’s new Afro-descendant initiative, which lets descendants of enslaved Africans apply for citizenship. 

She was among hundreds who applied and received a positive response as part of Benin’s outreach to its global diaspora.

The West African country has developed several initiatives encouraging people of African descent to reclaim their heritage and pursue citizenship where eligible.

Last year, the government passed a law offering nationality to people with an African ancestor who was taken from their homeland as part of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

The appointment of the ambassadors follows the recent launch of a website where the descendants of enslaved Africans can apply for citizenship.

Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a French-speaking country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. 

The majority of its population lives on the southern coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. 

The capital is Porto-Novo, and the seat of government is in Cotonou, the most populous city and economic capital, according to Wikipedia.

In 2021, the country’s population was estimated to be approximately 13 million. 

It is a tropical country with an economy heavily dependent on agriculture and is an exporter of palm oil and cotton.

The southern zone has an equatorial climate with four seasons—two wet and two dry. 

The principal rainy season occurs between mid-March and mid-July; the shorter dry season lasts to mid-September; the shorter rainy season lasts to mid-November; and the principal dry season lasts until the rains begin again in March.

Here is a link to dual citizenship in Benin https://www.dualcitizenship.com/countries/benin.html