Diasporans can apply for citizenship if they can prove maternal or paternal lineage through DNA testing and they visit the country through a certified tour company. The required DNA test is the MatriClan Test (which tests the roots of your mother’s maternal line through mtDNA) or the PatriClan Test (which tests the roots of your father’s paternal line through Y-DNA). Women must test a male relative on their direct paternal side (father, brother, uncle) to determine paternal lineage, since they don’t have Y chromosomes. All DNA tests must be conducted by the Black-owned company African Ancestry. These tests costs $299.00 USD, but a 10-15% discount is periodically offered with online discount codes. 

Test results typically take about six weeks from the time your sample is received. If your results show you are lucky to have Sierra Leonean roots, there are specific guidelines and documents that must be submitted, including an Authenticated Ancestry certificate purchased from African Ancestry. Copies should be submitted at least one month before the ceremony date and originals are required upon arrival. The 2022 guidelines are here, but subject to change for 2023 and beyond. The 2023 dates and requirements have not yet been announced.

The citizenship program is conducted under the joint auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and the Monuments and Relics Commission. Its goal is to integrate diasporans into Sierra Leonean society and to increase tourism, business opportunities, and investments in the country. To that end, all participants must spend at least 10 days in country and participate in an organized tour through a government-certified local tour company. The list of certified tour operators can be found here: Tour Operators | Sierra Leone National Tourist Board (ntb.gov.sl) The mandatory and optional activities, as well as average costs, can be found below.

Mandatory Activities:

· Citizenship application (should be completed soon after arrival in Sierra Leone)

· Civics & Cultural Education and Investment workshop (full day program with lunch and entertainment)

· Biometrics capture

· Passport ceremony

Optional/Recommended Activities:

· The Cotton Tree

· National Museum

· Peace and Cultural Monument

· Big Market

· Bunce Island

· Village visit and naming ceremony

· Community service projects

· Leicester Peak

· Beaches

· Group night out

· Dinner reception

Approximate Costs:

African Ancestry DNA test – $299.00

Document fees (Authenticated Ancestry certificate, fingerprinting, background check reports, notary fees, passport photos, etc.) – $100.00-$125.00

Tour package – $2,750.00 – $5,000.00 (costs vary by tour operator, some include airfare)

Airfare *if not included in tour package – $800 – $1,700 (varies by date and departure city so definitely check various options)

Visa – $80.00

Securitipass fee – $52.00

Passport biometrics fee – $100.00

UPDATE 3/1/2023:

The next citizenship conferment ceremony will be held April 20 – 30, 2023 in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Details and requirements are here.

Have you reclaimed your roots and obtained citizenship in Sierra Leone or another African country? How was your experience? Share below.

The post How The Black Diaspora Can Get Citizenship in Sierra Leone Based on DNA Lineage appeared first on Travel Africa Movement.

In 2019, Ghana issued a clarion call to Black people across the African diaspora to return to Africa and to specifically visit the West African country. Ghana’s Year of Return campaign, which commemorated the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first recorded enslaved Africans in Jamestown Virginia in 1619, was nothing short of a major success. While Ghana anticipated about 500,000 diasporans, more than one million people answered the call, coming from as far away as Brazil, Jamaica, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom for the yearlong series of events and cultural activities.

Other African countries have taken note of Ghana’s success and are instituting diaspora initiatives of their own hoping to see a similar tourism boom. If you’re looking to reconnect with your ancestral culture and homeland, there’s never been a better time to go to Africa for heritage travel.

Senegal

The House of Slaves on Goree Island is one of the most famous memorials of the slave trade. Today, the island is the site of the Goree Island Diaspora Festival, an annual art and culture celebration created to promote the island and reunite the African diaspora. Held in November, the festival has a dual role as a meeting place for cultures and a space for reconciliation. Countries invited to past festivals include Martinique, Cape Verde, Guadeloupe, Brazil and Venezuela.

We anticipate that more African countries will offer heritage tourism, land and investment initiatives, and citizenship opportunities in the coming years. African Ancestry is working to expand their DNA testing partnership to more than 30 countries in Africa where they trace ancestry. Stay tuned for more developments.

The post Why Now Is a Great Time to Visit Africa for Heritage Tourism appeared first on Travel Africa Movement.