US Film Stars Meagan Good and Jonathan Majors Become Guinea Citizens after DNA Tests

Husband and wife movie stars Meagan Good and Jonathan Majors have travelled to Guinea, where they have been granted citizenship after tracing their ancestry to the West African nation through DNA testing.

Majors, a star of Creed and Ant-Man, said becoming citizens would allow the couple to “bridg[e] the gap” and bring together their stories as entertainers and members of the African diaspora.

“We just want to say thank you so much,” added Good, best known for the film Think Like a Man, who said it was her first visit to Guinea.

Their citizenship ceremony was similar to other initiatives in the region to encourage people of African descent to reclaim their heritage and invest in the continent.

The event – a private cultural ceremony organised by the ministry of culture – took place at a tourist and cultural centre, Gbassi Kolo, on Friday.

Djiba Diakité, minister and chief of staff of the presidency, presented the passports to the two actors on behalf of President Mamadi Doumbouya, saying: “We both believe that you are among the worthy sons and daughters of Guinea to represent our country and the red and green flag throughout the world.”

Guests were treated to a series of traditional dance and music performances, including on the djembe – a drum that draws many foreigners to Guinea to learn its rhythms.

Asked about what their long-terms plans were in Guinea, the couple told the BBC by email:

“We could absolutely see ourselves having a home here and spending meaningful time in Guinea. This is not a fleeting connection – it’s something we see as long-term and evolving.”

Good, 44, and Majors, 36, began dating in May 2023 and tied the knot last year.

They married following a turbulent period in Majors’ life. In 2024, he was sentenced in the US to probation for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, British choreographer Grace Jabbari. He was mandated to complete a 52-week domestic violence intervention programme.

The actors landed at Conakry’s Gbessia International Airport in the early hours of Friday morning and were welcomed with great fanfare by officials and musicians.

During their stay in Guinea, the pair are scheduled to tour Boké, a coastal region with historic slave trade sites. It is not clear if they plan to invest in or move to Guinea.

In recent years, several celebrities have taken up citizenships of countries in Africa.

It largely began in 2019 when Ghana launched “The Year of Return”, inviting those with African heritage to come home and invest. One of the most prominent stars to do so was Stevie Wonder in 2024.

Other notable examples have been US singer Ciara, who took Beninese citizenship last year, and Hollywood actor Samuel L Jackson, who acquired a Gabonese passport in 2020.

Guinea itself has a long history of welcoming activists and people from the African diaspora.

In the 1960s, South African singer Miriam Makeba and her husband, US civil rights activist and Black Panther leader Stokely Carmichael, moved to Guinea.

Makeba had been made stateless for her opposition to apartheid and after her marriage to Carmichael, who popularised the slogan “black power”, her US visa was revoked.

She was treated as an honorary Guinean citizen and cultural ambassador, while Carmichael, who took the name Kwame Ture, remained in Guinea even after their divorce, dying there in 1998.

Guinea has experience political turmoil in recent years – and under the junta that seized power in 2021 the country has become less open to dissent.

Coup leader Gen Mamady Doumbouya restricted the media and suppressed protests.

The country has recently returned to civilian rule following elections last month, won by Doumbouya with 87% of the vote.

Unlike other countries in the region that have experienced recent coups, Guinea has maintained relations with Western governments, particularly France.

The country is rich in minerals, including bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold and uranium, yet its people remain among the poorest in West Africa.

Source: BBC

Click to read more: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/