American actor and film producer Samuel L. Jackson received a hero’s homecoming in Gabon as he traced his ancestry back to the Central African country.
The Hollywood veteran traced the connection through Finding Your Roots, an American docu-series that uses traditional genealogical research and genetics to discover the family history of celebrities.
Jackson is originally from Benga, a tribe of Gabon, he arrived July 23 in Gabon for work and leisure stay in the country he considers to be that of his ancestors.
The Benga tribe is from the group of tribes commonly known as the Bantu spread across Africa.
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The Bantu people are the speakers of Bantu languages; comprising several hundred indigenous ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa. They cover a vast area from Central Africa across the African Great Lakes to Southern Africa.
Recently Jackson travelled to Gabon, where he met with the president, Ali Bongo Ondimba and his wife, Sylvia Bongo Ondimba.
It was during his meeting with the President that Samuel L. Jackson was given a Gabonese passport. The Gabonese government may soon appoint him Goodwill Ambassador of Gabon in charge of the protection of the environment. He also met with the king of Benga.
In his remarks he indicated that his journey of life has become so clear with the meeting he had with the monarch.
He took to his Instagram saying “When you meet The King of The Benga, your ancestral tribe and he turns out to be your best friend Skeeter!!! When you’re on a journey of discovery and a life choice becomes clear!”
Samuel L. Jackson is currently shooting a six-part documentary series titled Enslaved on the history of the African slave trade.
Some other well-known individuals that have traced their genealogical backgrounds (with the help of DNA analysis) back to Africa include:
- Chris Rock (Cameroon)
- Whoopi Goldberg (Guinea-Bissau)
- Common (Cameroon)
- Chris Tucker (Cameroon, Angola)
- Oprah Winfrey (Liberia, Guinea).