Musical legend Stevie Wonder celebrated his 74th birthday by receiving his citizenship in Ghana.
The Motown musician is the latest in a line of celebrities who have procured dual nationality in recent years.
Wonder arrived in the capital city of Accra, and he was granted the Certificate of Citizenship by Registration at Jubilee House by Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Stevie Wonder is in Ghana 🇬🇭.
I bet Nigerians won’t have light to Cedis!
Legendary American global musician, Stevie Wonder has arrived in Ghana!! This is not his first visit, but it's been a long time since he has been here.
Dude is feeling at home already! pic.twitter.com/vY0ULqbxBe— WithAlvin 🇬🇭 (@withAlvin__) May 13, 2024
This fulfills a vow that Wonder made back in 1994 of getting his citizenship in another country due to better sociopolitical conditions.
A few decades later, the 25-time Grammy Award winner reiterated his desire to move to Ghana because of the rampant racism that pervades the United States.
Stevie Wonder is in Ghana 🇬🇭.
I bet Nigerians won’t have light to Cedis!
Legendary American global musician, Stevie Wonder has arrived in Ghana!! This is not his first visit, but it's been a long time since he has been here.
Dude is feeling at home already! pic.twitter.com/vY0ULqbxBe— WithAlvin 🇬🇭 (@withAlvin__) May 13, 2024
Upon arrival in the nation, Wonder joined in the celebration as he was greeted by drum players and dancers. Not long after that, the “Part-Time Lover” crooner took the Oath of Allegiance and subsequently received his certificate of Ghanaian citizenship.
Renowned American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder takes the Oath of Allegiance and receives a certificate of Ghanaian citizenship#UTVNews pic.twitter.com/2hiKklmSgL
— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) May 13, 2024
His new home country also celebrated Wonder with a birthday party at the Labadi Beach Hotel that same day.
Grammy Winner Stevie Wonder at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, Ghana to celebrate his 74th birthday
Earlier today, Stevie Wonder officially became Ghanaian upon signing the necessary documentation 🇬🇭 pic.twitter.com/OvbQscr3uv
— African Folder (@africanfolder) May 13, 2024
Other celebrities who have acquired dual citizenship
Tina Turner
The late Hall of Fame legend Tina Turner, who is best known for the song “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and the classic movie of the same name, moved to Switzerland in 1993. Twenty years later, Turner disavowed her American nationality and became a full Swiss citizen, telling CNN’s Larry King that she felt much more welcomed in Europe than in America.
Tiffany Haddish
Haddish, who is half-Jewish, has acquired dual citizenship in America and Eritrea, which is located on the opposite side of the African continent from where Wonder is living in Ghana. Her father, Tsihaye Reda Haddish, was born in the East African nation.
Ludacris
In 2020, rap icon Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges — along with his mother and daughters Cadence and Cai — obtained their legal citizenship in the African nation of Gabon, where his wife, Eudoxie, was born and raised.
Samuel L. Jackson
Oscar-winning actor Samuel L. Jackson underwent a genealogy and DNA test, which traced his lineage back to a tribe in Gabon. Soon thereafter, the Pulp Fiction star procured his dual citizenship there.
