“I Am Igbo”: Reggae Icon Buju Banton Declares, Shares Challenges His Lineage is Facing in Jamaica

• Jamaican reggae icon Buju Banton made a surprising revelation about his roots in Maroons and its relationship with Nigeria
• The veteran artist disclosed during a recent podcast show that Maroons originated from the Igbo people
• He spoke about the reported unfairness his people were getting from the government, claiming that Indigenous Maroon lands were under threat

Jamaican reggae icon Buju Banton has revealed that he is of Igbo descent, with ancestral roots in Nigeria's Igbo clan. 

During a recent appearance on the popular Drink Champs podcast, co-hosted by N.O.R.E and DJ EFN, Banton shared his ethnic heritage, stating that his tribe, the Maroons, originally descended from the Igbo people.

Banton also expressed deep concern about the current situation in Jamaica, claiming that Indigenous Maroon lands were under threat.

According to the Destiny hitmaker, the Jamaican government was inviting Chinese and other foreign entities to enter their region, displacing the Maroon people.

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Buju Banton said: "Our Indigenous way of life and our land are being threatened by the current government of Jamaica, which seeks to bring Chinese and other nationalities into the Cockpit region, which is an Indigenous sacred region, to usurp us, the Maroons as the warriors.

"Maroons are some of the Indigenous warriors on my Island. We fought the British relentlessly. We are called Blackmaroons. My generation originated from Nigeria. I am an Igbo man according to my bloodline."

Watch him speak below:

In October 2022, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, disclosed that her ancestry was partly Nigerian. The information spurred massive excitement in the Nigerian social media space and she was even bestowed indigenous names.

Legit.ng brought fascinating insight from the British and American showbiz scene as we examined 10 international superstars of Nigerian descent.

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Nigerian lady gives Jennifer Lopez Igbo name

Popular American actress and singer Jennifer Lopez won the hearts of Nigerian fans after she was given an Igbo name.

The 54-year-old entertainer was recently interviewed by Nigerian media personality Drea Okeke.

Drea went on to give the American star an Igbo name while teaching her how to pronounce it. According to the media personality, JLo’s Igbo name is Ifunanya meaning ‘Love’.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng