In a private ceremony held on Friday in Conakry, the capital city of Guinea, Hollywood actors Meagan Good and Jonathan Majors were officially granted Guinean citizenship. This honor was bestowed upon them after they traced their lineage to Guinea through DNA analysis, uncovering their ancestral ties to this West African nation.
The event included remarks from Djiba Diakité, the head of the president’s cabinet, who acknowledged the duo's status. "We think that you are among the worthy sons and daughters of this Guinea. You represent our country, the red-yellow-green flag all over the world," he said, highlighting the cultural significance of their recognition.
Plans for the couple include a scheduled tour of Guinea’s prominent tourist destinations on Sunday, indicating a gesture of cultural exchange and mutual respect between the actors and the nation.
Jonathan Majors's career trajectory had been on a significant rise prior to experiencing legal and professional setbacks. He gained critical acclaim for roles in "Da 5 Bloods" and "Lovecraft Country," and had secured a long-term role with Marvel Studios portraying Kang the Conqueror. However, a 2023 altercation involving his then-girlfriend led to charges of assault and harassment, resulting in his arrest and subsequent conviction. This legal outcome triggered Marvel to cease their association with him on upcoming projects, and the anticipated film "Magazine Dreams," once viewed as a potential vehicle for an Oscar nomination, experienced a production halt lasting until the previous year.
Meagan Good, an accomplished actor herself, began her relationship with Majors in 2023. She maintained a visible presence during his trial proceedings in New York. Following their engagement in 2024, the couple married quietly last year in a small ceremony, coinciding with promotional activities around "Magazine Dreams."
The recognition of Good and Majors is part of a broader trend of African nations offering citizenship to descendants of enslaved people in the diaspora. Previously, U.S. singer Ciara became a citizen of Benin, reflecting a similar initiative. Ghana notably naturalized 524 African Americans the previous year, following an invitational "come home" campaign by President Nana Akufo-Addo in 2019, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the forced arrival of the first enslaved Africans in North America.
Presently, Guinea's governance is under the control of junta leader General Mamadi Doumbouya, who assumed power following a coup in 2021. His recent presidential election victory came after a political environment characterized by suppression of opposition and dissenting voices, resulting in an election landscape devoid of significant challengers.