A country in West Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean and just over 13 million inhabitants, Benin has started to discuss an innovative idea in recent months: granting nationality to all people of African descent on the planet.
The project, sent by the government and still under analysis in the Beninese parliament, was mentioned by President Patrice Talon on his official visit to Brazil last week, in a speech alongside President Lula.
"In our view, I will repeat, all Brazilians of African descent are Beninese. And this should be a source of pride for them. And for this reason, a law will be voted in the next few days to grant nationality to all Afro-descendants who so desire Therefore, from now on, Mr President, you will be a Beninese too", said Talon, to the applause of those present.
If approved, the text would cover the planet, but would have special relevance for Brazil – the main destination for the trafficking of black slaves and which, today, is home to the largest black and brown population outside of Africa.
Understand below how this law would work and what the impacts would be for Brazil, Africa and black people around the world.
What does the bill say?
The text to which g1 had access indicates that, if the project becomes law, Benin will give nationality to all Afro-descendants who make the request and "prove" their Afro-descendance.
According to the government, this nationality will be of a "limited" type provided for in the country's laws. New citizens will have a Beninese passport, but will not be able to participate in elections (as voters or candidates), for example.
To obtain "full" citizenship, the beneficiaries of African descent would have to follow the same path used by those who, today, move to the country or marry someone from there: among the requirements, they must live in Benin for at least five years .
Who can apply for nationality?
The project under discussion in Benin defines as Afro-descendant "any person who, in their genealogy, has a sub-Saharan African ancestry deported outside the continent in the context of the slave trade".
The text also says that "proof of Afro-descendance is provided by the applicant through any civil status or official documentation, through testimonies contained in an authentic writing, through a DNA ancestry test carried out by bodies approved by Benin or through any other technical or scientific evidence".
The spokesperson for the Benin government, Wilfrid Houngbédji, told g1 this Thursday (30) that proof is necessary for all people of African descent – even those with black skin and/or physical features that demonstrate this link.
"The DNA test will be for all people of African descent, all people with black skin from territories or countries that received slaves. The simple color of the skin is not enough – otherwise, the citizens of Africa itself, who were born and live here, could say that are eligible to receive nationality," he said.
Still according to Houngbédji, it is not necessary to prove a specific connection with Benin, but rather with sub-Saharan Africa in general (where, historically, black populations that were enslaved predominate).
"If you are of African descent and your ancestors came from Mali, Central Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, you can ask for recognition of Beninese nationality."
What does that mean, 'all people of African descent are Beninese'?
The speech by the president of Benin, Patrice Talon, is the result of a social thought called "Pan-Africanism" – an ideology that advocates the unity of the African continent to overcome the underdevelopment imposed on the region by the colonial past.
Pan-Africanism tries to overcome, for example, the artificial lines that separated European colonies (today, independent countries) in Africa and generated ethnic conflicts that lasted for centuries.
During slavery, black people from different social groups were captured and sent on the same ships to America. In the process, most of their identity is erased or suppressed. In this process, surnames, languages, religions and other cultural ties disappeared.
Therefore, if today a descendant of Italians in Brazil can use their surname and family tree to apply for European citizenship, the same does not happen with the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of enslaved people.
It is difficult to know whether this ancestor was enslaved and sent to Brazil from Angola, Congo, Guinea or Benin (at the time, Dahomey), for example. Currently, some of these descendants are trying to discover their geographic origin through documents and genetic ancestry tests – and Pan-Africanists, in turn, advocate for "overcoming" this issue by recognizing any African ancestry as enough to get Benin citizenship.
News link (in Portuguese):
https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2024/06/02/benin-na-africa-quer-dar-nacionalidade-do-pais-a-todos-os-afrodescendentes-do-planeta-entenda.ghtml
