{"id":42704,"date":"2024-05-13T15:52:30","date_gmt":"2024-05-13T15:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/?p=42704"},"modified":"2024-05-13T15:52:32","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T15:52:32","slug":"video-stevie-wonder-is-officially-a-ghanaian-citizen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/2024\/05\/13\/video-stevie-wonder-is-officially-a-ghanaian-citizen\/","title":{"rendered":"VIDEO: Stevie Wonder is officially a Ghanaian citizen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Renowned American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder has officially become a Ghanaian citizen after taking the Oath of Allegiance and receiving his Certificate of Citizenship at a ceremony held on Monday, May 13, at the Jubilee House, the seat of government.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The event marks Stevie Wonder&#8217;s official integration into Ghanaian society, a move celebrated by many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It comes three years after he announced his decision to move to Ghana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The singer, known for &#8220;You Are the Sunshine of My Life&#8221; and &#8220;I Just Called to Say I Love You,&#8221; cited political turmoil in the US as a reason for leaving.\u00a0<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I wanna see this nation smile again. And I want to see it before I leave to travel to move to Ghana because I\u2019m going to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Winfrey then asked, \u201cYou\u2019re going to permanently move to Ghana?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am,\u201d replied the singer. He added, \u201cI don\u2019t want to see my children\u2019s children\u2019s children have to say, \u2018Oh please like me. Please respect me, please know that I am important, please value me.\u2019 What is that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ceremony<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Graphic Online\u2019s presidential correspondent,\u00a0<em><strong>Donald Ato Dapatem<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0reports from the Jubilee House that Steve Hardaway Morris, the American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer professionally known as Stevie Wonder, today became a Ghanaian in fulfillment of a 50-year old dream<br><br>After swearing the oath to respect and protect the constitution of Ghana with the help of God while holding a Bible in hand, the oath was administered by a Circuit Court judge, Kizita Naa Koowaa Quarshie.<br><br>President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo handed the global icon and the philanthropist with a certificate of citizenship and a Ghanaian passport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was also assisted to sit on an asasagwa and presented with a kente cloth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was all joy and excitement at the short but impressive ceremony because today marked the 74 birthday of Stevie Wonder and his son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were both assisted to cut a cake made in the colours of red gold, and green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Visibly elated, the musician said, \u201cMr. President, I thank you for the heart of understanding that the only way that the world can move forward is that we come together as one people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI celebrate that spirit. What is unfortunate is that too many people are too blind to see it. I know that it is just a hearts beat away,\u201d he added.<br><br>Mr Wonder noted that for over 50 years, he had thought about acquiring a Ghanaian citizenship and that \u201cthe truth is, as a Ghanaian citizen, being a part of fulfilling the dream we have had for so many years of bringing people of Africa and those of the diaspora, USA and Caribbean together\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr Wonder has joined the league of missionaries, policemen, lawyers, health workers, writers, artists, musicians, and the likes of George Padmore, Rita Marley, Maya Angelou, W.E.B. du Bois who became Ghanaians citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Akufo-Addo said conferring Ghanaian citizenship upon him, was a recognition of his immense talent and achievements as well as his deep connection to the African continent, and his tireless efforts to promote unity, solidarity and cultural exchanges among all peoples of African descent.\u00a0<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His decision to become a citizen of Ghana is a testament to his profound respect and admiration for our nation&#8217;s history, culture and values,\u201d he added.<br><br>President Akufo-Addo said the welcoming of Stevie Wonder into the Ghanaian family must inspire the people to his legacy, and strive to build a future where creativity flourishes, diversity is celebrated, and the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood transcend all differences.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He noted that his welcome represents a vivid manifestation of the goals of the Year of Return, which we commemorated, in 2019, as a bridge between the African peoples on both sides of the Atlantic.<br><br>\u201cToday\u2019s ceremony brings starkly to mind a favourite and oft-cited statement of the famous Jamaican reggae star, Peter Tosh, who once said, quite rightly, \u201cdon&#8217;t care where you come from, as long as you&#8217;re a black man, you&#8217;re an African.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr. Kow Essuman, legal counsel to President Akufo-Addo, took to social media to congratulate the celebrated musician on his new status as a Ghanaian citizen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-dominant-color=\"b9ada3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #b9ada3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"617\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/pub\/2024\/05\/IMG_5824-617x1024.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42705 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/pub\/2024\/05\/IMG_5824-617x1024.webp 617w, https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/pub\/2024\/05\/IMG_5824-181x300.webp 181w, https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/pub\/2024\/05\/IMG_5824-768x1275.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/pub\/2024\/05\/IMG_5824-925x1536.webp 925w, https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/pub\/2024\/05\/IMG_5824-1234x2048.webp 1234w, https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/pub\/2024\/05\/IMG_5824-750x1245.webp 750w, https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/pub\/2024\/05\/IMG_5824-1140x1892.webp 1140w, https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/pub\/2024\/05\/IMG_5824-jpeg.webp 1290w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 617px) 100vw, 617px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stevie Wonder is officially Ghanaian. He has just taken the Oath of Allegiance and received the Certificate of Citizenship by Registration at Jubilee House. Congratulations, Sir, and welcome to Ghana,&#8221; Essuman posted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coinciding with this momentous occasion, Stevie Wonder also celebrated his 74th birthday on the same day, having been born on Saturday, May 13, 1950.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">President Akufo-Addo has conferred Ghanaian citizenship status on renowned American musician and songwriter Stevie Wonder. <br><br>Stevie Wonder, who is in Ghana with his family, will hold dual citizenship of both America and Ghana. <br><br>At a brief ceremony at the Jubilee House, Stevie\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XSSKU0qxuj\">pic.twitter.com\/XSSKU0qxuj<\/a><\/p>&mdash; CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Citi973\/status\/1789998053706838237?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 13, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>At a brief ceremony at the Jubilee House, Stevie Wonder expressed his delight at the honour done him.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Renowned American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder has officially become a Ghanaian citizen after taking the Oath of Allegiance and receiving his Certificate of Citizenship at a ceremony held on Monday, May 13, at the Jubilee House, the seat of government. The event marks Stevie Wonder&#8217;s official integration into Ghanaian society, a move celebrated by many. It [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_post_source_name":"","_post_source_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[80],"tags":[1648,4899,13052,567,8713,6573,8173,7995,10787,287,13254,11254,11555,8023,10507,3513,5262,12624,5455,3577,192,4521,12502,1445,5918,2264,12634,4261,12005,6220,1727,12692,1993,6332,2604,3805,7669,11377,6838,5349,3907,6584,146,5350,11957,6348,8033,36,594,2783],"class_list":["post-42704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-africa","tag-african","tag-akufo","tag-bible","tag-birthday","tag-black","tag-bridge","tag-caribbean","tag-certificate","tag-children","tag-circuit-court","tag-citizen","tag-citizens","tag-citizenship","tag-court","tag-culture","tag-cut","tag-diaspora","tag-family","tag-future","tag-ghana","tag-ghanaian","tag-ghanaians","tag-god","tag-gold","tag-government","tag-health","tag-jubilee-house","tag-judge","tag-love","tag-maya","tag-musician","tag-my-life","tag-online","tag-passport","tag-president","tag-president-nana-addo-dankwa-akufo-addo","tag-presidential","tag-singer","tag-social-media","tag-stevie-wonder","tag-travel","tag-truth","tag-twitter","tag-unity","tag-us","tag-video","tag-world","tag-who","tag-year-of-return"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42704"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42706,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42704\/revisions\/42706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}