The “Happy Birthday” singer had a happy birthday, indeed.
Legendary singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder is officially Ghanaian. On his 74th birthday, the US musical icon was granted citizenship of Ghana by the nation’s president, marking a heartfelt milestone in Wonder’s long-standing connection to the West African country.
“This is it, congratulations!” President Nana Akufo-Addo told a beaming Wonder, presenting the Grammy winner with a citizenship certificate at a ceremony in the presidential palace. The event also featured a birthday cake adorned with the Ghanaian flag.
At the citizenship ceremony, Wonder, surrounded by family and wearing a scarf made of traditional kente cloth, was visibly delighted. According to the BBC, Ghana has long championed pan-Africanism, with its founding leader, Kwame Nkrumah, describing the nation as a “Black Mecca.” Stevie Wonder now joins a legacy of African-American icons who have embraced this vision, including W. E. B. Du Bois, who moved to Ghana and was buried there in 1963, and figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali, who all visited the country to reconnect with their African roots.
Watch this amazing moment that celebrates heritage, unity, and the promise of a brighter future:
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Cover photo: Stevie Wonder Receives Citizenship in Ghana on 74th Birthday / Credit: The Ghanaian Ministry of Interior