Like many African Americans, actor Samuel L. Jackson wanted to discover his ancestry and he found them via the docu-series Finding Your Roots, which uses traditional genealogical research and genetics to unveil the family history of celebrities.
“Jackson traced his roots to the Bantu tribe in Gabon. The Bantu people are the speakers of Bantu languages, comprising several hundred indigenous ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa, spread over a vast area from Central Africa across the African Great Lakes to Southern Africa,” The Guardian reported.
After finding his roots, Jackson visited Gabon, where he met with the president, Ali Bongo Ondimba and his wife, Sylvia Bongo Ondimba. Jackson was given Gabonese citizenship and passport. He also met with the king of Benga. On his Instagram, Jackson posted: “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!”
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 33: Dr. Gina Paige Jamarlin talks to Dr. Gina Paige about African Ancestry, the company that used DNA to pioneer a new way of tracing African lineages and helped 500,000+ people reconnect with their roots.
Jackson is one of the highest all-time box office stars with over $6.9 billion total U.S. box office gross. He averages a box office gross of $87.5 million per film.
Samuel Jackson is among a growing list of celebrities who have traced their genealogical backgrounds (using DNA analysis) back to Africa. Chris Rock (Cameroon), Whoopi Goldberg (Guinea-Bissau), Common (Cameroon), Chris Tucker (Cameroon, Angola), Oprah Winfrey (Liberia, Guinea) have also found their roots.
