Ron Kenoly, a well-known American gospel performer, recently declared his intention to settle in Ghana and obtain citizenship there.
Speaking to 3News at the 2023 Harvest Praise, he noted that in addition to having Ghanaian roots and being quite hospitable to diaspora’s in particular.
Although he had come to Ghana for the event, Ron Kenoly said one of his main objectives was to start the process of getting a permanent residence.
“My purpose of being here is to become a resident of Ghana and eventually become a citizen of Ghana. For the last week, I’ve been filling out forms and documents to gain residency and eventually to be your brother, a Ghanaian citizen,” the 78-year-old said.
Ron Kenoly has previously visited Ghana. In 2011, the renowned gospel musician admitted that he had originally arrived in Ghana in 1997.
Later, in 2011, he visited Ghana as the festival’s main attraction.
At the time, he revealed that after doing some investigation, he discovered that he was descended from the Fante people on Adom FM’s Drive programme, Ofie Kwanso.
He claims that during his first trip to Ghana in 1997, he used the opportunity to learn more about the country and his ancestry. His research revealed that some of his ancestors were taken as slaves from Elmina in the Central Region of Ghana in 1836, leading him to conclude that “we assume that we are Fantes.”
Since Ron Kenoly was born on a Wednesday, he decided to choose Kweku as his middle name. He had previously learned that Ghanaians are given native names based on the day they are born.
On the other hand, he claimed in a speech outside of Harvest Praise that “my ancestors came from these parts of Africa to go to America and so now we are returning.”
