Singer Ciara gains Benin citizenship under Afro-descendant law, honoring slave trade history and Black diaspora heritage.

US singer Ciara has become one of the first public figures to be granted citizenship of Benin, under a new law offering nationality to the descendants of slaves. In an Instagram post the Grammy award-winner said she was "honoured", adding "thank you Benin for opening your arms and your heart to me".

Benin hopes that its latest moves will promote cultural tourism. The country’s coastline is part of what was once known as the Slave Coast