American filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, have been appointed by the government of Benin Republic as ambassadors to African-Americans.
Their role is to strengthen connections between the West African country and people of African descent in the United States.
The couple were in Cotonou last week, where the announcement was made. Tonya, a producer and author, was also among the first applicants to receive a favourable response under Benin’s citizenship initiative for descendants of enslaved Africans.
Benin’s government says the couple will serve as “thematic ambassadors”, supporting projects that reconnect African-Americans to their ancestral roots.
“Through their long-standing commitment to justice, their exceptional creativity, and their global reach,” the government said, “they have profoundly shaped the contemporary narrative of the African diaspora.”
Reconnecting a People to Their Roots
Benin is taking deliberate steps to attract African descendants back home, especially those whose ancestors were taken during the transatlantic slave trade.
In 2023, the government passed a law offering nationality to people with proven ancestral ties to the region. Applicants can now begin the process through an official website, allowing them to reclaim citizenship where eligible.
The country’s coastline, once part of the “Slave Coast”, was a major exit point for over a million Africans taken between the 1500s and 1700s. Many of them were shipped to the US, Brazil, and the Caribbean from the ancient Kingdom of Whydah, now part of southern Benin.
Benin hopes the move will boost cultural tourism and inspire African-Americans and others in the diaspora to reconnect spiritually, culturally, and historically with the continent.
A Strong Message from Benin to the World
On the streets of Cotonou, the decision to appoint Spike Lee and his wife has stirred excitement.
“It’s a strong cultural message, which could be good publicity for Benin,” said 27-year-old student architect Prospère Yehoume.
Carlos Biogbé, a marketing professional, said it could “encourage actors and directors to make films in the country.”
Basilia Hinvi, a secondary school student, agreed it was a good move but questioned why “famous US-Beninois actor Djimon Hounsou” wasn’t given the same role.
Though Spike Lee’s ancestry traces back to Cameroon and Sierra Leone, and Tonya Lewis Lee’s lineage is less publicly known, both are well-known voices for civil rights and the Black experience. Lee’s films often spotlight race, identity, and justice in America.
In 2019, Ghana’s “Year of Return” opened a similar door, inviting descendants of enslaved Africans to visit and invest in their ancestral land.
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