American Celebrities Who Traced Their Roots To Africa

Celebrities and influential personalities have leveraged on the power of DNA test to trace their African ancestry.

In a compiled list of seven, two are from Nigeria, while the rest’s ancestries were linked to countries like Cameroon and Sierra Leone.

Of the big personalities, LeVar Burton and American clergyman Bishop TD Jakes are from the country

Over recent years, American celebrities and people of great influence have had to trace their roots to Africa in the bid to ascertain their true identities.

With the advancement in technology, DNA testing has greatly improved to make such people know exactly where their ancestors originated from.

Whoopi Goldberg (Guinea-Bissau) Her DNA test revealed that her ancestors are from the Papel and Bayote people of Guinea-Bissau. She, however, could not go home because of her fear of flying.

LeVar Burton (Nigeria) He is an all-round creative person; an American actor, director, producer, presenter and author. He played the role of Kunta Kinte and won an award for the act. He traced his root to the Hausa people of Nigeria.

Anthony Anderson (Cameroon) Anthony, a top American comedian, discovered his root is from the Bubu people of Bioko island and Tikar and the Hausa and Fulani people of Cameroon.

Bishop TD Jakes (Nigeria) The popular clergyman was another person who traced his root to Nigeria. He is a descendent of the Igbo people. He is the bishop of The Potter’s House church.

Oprah Winfrey (Liberia, Cameroon, Zambia) Oprah’s DNA test showed that her ancestors originated in different African countries. The popular TV show host is connected to Kpelle people of Liberia, Bantu people in Zambia, and Bamileke people of Cameroon.

Chris Rock (Cameroon) A big American comedian and one of the most successful in that creative industry, he was able to trace his ancestry to the Udeme people who are from northern Cameroon.

Michael K Williams (Sierra Leone) A popular American actor, his DNA result linked him with the Mende tribe of Sierra Leone. His mother is from the Bahamas.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that in 2019, there were a lot of Hollywood celebrities who visited Africa as a way to connect with their roots.

A very big opportunity to do so came when Ghana organised its Year of Return event, which saw a lot of people come into the continent from the West.

Some of the celebrities that were on the continent for one thing or the other were Samuel L Jackson, Ludacris, Cardi B, Idris Elba, Rick Ross, Future, among several others. Among them, some got their African citizenship.