Celebrity News
Ciara Traces Her Roots to Benin Republic
American singer Ciara has officially traced her roots to the Benin Republic, and on July 26, 2025, she became the first person to receive Beninese citizenship under a new law welcoming Afro-descendants back to their ancestral homeland.
The moment was part of a national ceremony held in Cotonou, organized to celebrate the United Nations International Day for Women and Girls of African Descent. It was also a chance for Benin to begin putting a new law into action, one that gives African descendants of enslaved people the right to return and claim Beninese nationality.
Ciara
Ciara shared her joy in an Instagram post that same day, writing:
Indescribable Joy. July 26, history was made. On this year’s United Nations International Day of Women and Girls of African Descent, I was honored to receive Beninese citizenship, becoming the first person in the world granted nationality under this new initiative!
To be welcomed by His Excellency President Patrice Talon, the office of Benin Tourism, and the beautiful people of Benin is a moment I will never forget. Thank you Benin for opening your arms and your heart to me. See you soon. Je suis béninoise.”
Ciara with her Benin people
The singer was officially granted citizenship in a formal event attended by President Talon and Benin’s Minister of Justice, Yvon Détchénou. It was a proud and emotional moment for both Ciara and the country, as she stepped into a piece of her own history while marking a new step for Benin’s efforts to reconnect with the African diaspora.
A Law to Bring People Home
Ciara was granted citizenship under a law passed in September 2024, designed to help descendants of enslaved Africans reconnect with their roots. Under the new law, people who can trace their ancestry back to Benin, through DNA results, family records, or verified stories, can apply for citizenship. They also have to be at least 18, not already a citizen of another African country, and must visit Benin within three years of applying.
Ciara with her Benin people
The goal is to help Afro-descendants build real, lasting ties to the places their ancestors came from before the transatlantic slave trade took them away.
Benin is one of several African countries, alongside Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Gabon, that have started making legal room for this kind of return. But Benin’s law is unique because it gives full legal citizenship, not just residency or honorary titles.
Ciara receiving her citizenship
A Journey Back Through History
After receiving her citizenship, Ciara took time to visit the Slave Route in Ouidah, one of the major slave ports during the transatlantic slave trade. Like many who visit, she walked the same path millions of enslaved people were once forced to take, ending at the Door of No Return, a symbolic spot where captives were taken across the ocean, never to see their homeland again.
According to reports, Ciara called the experience powerful and emotional, describing it as a moment of deep reflection.
Ciara
For Benin, this kind of return carries deep meaning. The country has publicly acknowledged its role in the slave trade, and for years, has hosted memorial events and invited descendants of enslaved people to visit. In 1999, former president Mathieu Kérékou even issued a formal apology for Benin’s involvement in the trade during a trip to the U.S.
A New Chapter for Many People
Ciara’s story is part of a much larger move by African countries to open their doors to people of African descent around the world. Though she’s the first, many more are expected to follow in her footsteps.
Ciara
Benin has even created a digital platform, My Afro Origins to help people apply and check if they are eligible.
As for Ciara, this wasn’t just about paperwork or a headline. It was about returning to something real. Her smile during the ceremony said it all, and her words made it even clearer: Je suis béninoise. Meaning: I am a Beninese woman.
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Beyoncé is celebrating 20 years of B’Day with an anniversary edition of the album. B’Day will be released on September 4, 2026.
B’Day was Beyoncé’s second solo studio album and followed her 2003 debut, Dangerously in Love. The album featured some of her best tracks. The edition has 27 tracks which has the original album with B-sides, rare recordings, and Spanish-language versions.
Image: @beyonce/Instagram
The full tracklist for the deluxe edition includes:
- Déjà Vu
- Get Me Bodied
- Suga Mama
- Upgrade U
- Ring the Alarm
- Kitty Kat
- Freakum Dress
- Green Light
- Irreplaceable
- Check on It
- Beautiful Liar
- Flaws and All
- Resentment
- Listen
- Morning Dew (Donk)
- My First Time
- Can I Watch You
- Welcome to Hollywood
- Lost Yo Mind
- Creole
- Back Up
- Get Me Bodied (Extended Mix)
- Irreplaceable (Irreemplazable)
- Amor Gitano
- Listen (Oye)
- Beautiful Liar(Bello Embustero)
- Get Me Bodied(Mueve el Cuerpo
The physical release is for collectors. The four-LP deluxe edition comes on 180-gram Bayou Blue vinyl and includes a 60-page booklet and two art prints.
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Beyoncé will make the anniversary project available in two-LP editions and a CD. These give fans options depending on their needs.
Image: @beyonce/Instagram
The original B’Day remains an important album in Beyoncé’s career. She has worked with Pharrell Williams, Ryan Tedder and The Dream who are top producers.
This anniversary gives fans an opportunity to to enjoy some of Beyoncé’s old songs. It also shows how much material surrounded the making of B’Day.
Twenty years after its original release, B’Day is returning in a much larger package. The anniversary edition combines familiar hits, lesser-known recordings, Spanish-language versions and newer material into one 27-track collection.
Sean “Diddy” Combs could face criminal charges in connection with the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur. This has become a possibility during the ongoing trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis.
Davis, 63, is accused of orchestrating the September 7, 1996 shooting in Las Vegas. Prosecutors say the attack followed a fight at the MGM Grand involving Shakur, members of his entourage and Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson. Shakur was riding in a BMW with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight when a white Cadillac pulled up and Shakur was shot four times.
Photo: Getty Images
Davis has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors have built much of their case around statements he made over the years, including a 2008 police interview and his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend. Davis admitted he was in the Cadillac and described what happened that day.
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According to former police detective Daryn Dupree, Davis claimed Combs offered $1 million to have Shakur and Knight killed. He said:
“Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs supposedly had given money to Zip Martin to give to Mr. Davis for payment for the Tupac murder,”
Those allegations have never resulted in criminal charges against Combs. His representatives have denied his involvement. People reported that Combs is not a witness in Davis’ current trial.
Photo: Getty Images
Legal experts say the absence of Combs from the scene would not prevent prosecutors from charging him if credible evidence links him to the killing. Ex-prosecutor Neama Rahmani explained that Combs could face a charge if investigators could corroborate Davis’ allegation.
A Nevada judge had ruled that Davis’ 2008 police interview could be used at trial. The decision gives prosecutors another opportunity to present his statements about the shooting and the events surrounding it to jurors.
The Davis trial could become important if new evidence shed light on the alleged financial arrangements behind the killing. Nearly 30 years after Shakur’s death, the proceedings have reopened questions about who planned the attack and if there is anyone involved.
French Montana is coming to South Africa this December for two headline performances marking the launch of AFROTRAX, a new live entertainment series. The US rapper will perform in Cape Town and Johannesburg on December 4 and 5.
French Montana will be at The Ostrich in Cape Town on Friday, December 4, 2026. The event will run from 2pm until midnight.
He will then travel to Johannesburg for a second performance at The Canvas on Saturday, December 5.
Photo: Instagram
AFROTRAX is a new live entertainment platform that aims to connect Africa’s creative community with international entertainment. The two concerts will officially launch the brand, with French Montana being the headline act.
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The organisers are presenting the concerts in partnership with PLAYY. Music. They have promised fans premium hospitality experiences.
French Montana, born Karim Kharbouch, has worked with top artists. His songs include Unforgettable featuring Swae Lee, No Stylist featuring Drake, Pop That featuring Rick Ross, Drake and Lil Wayne, and Writing on the Wall, which features Cardi B, Post Malone and Rvssian.
Photo: Instagram
The organisers described the launch as an important moment for the new platform. They said:
“AFROTRAX represents a new chapter in African live entertainment. Launching the brand with French Montana is a significant milestone for us and the beginning of something much bigger,”
More details about the events, including additional programme information and other announcements, will be released closer to the December shows.
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