Jamaican reggae icon Buju Banton recently disclosed that he has Igbo heritage.
During an appearance on the ‘Drink Champs’ podcast, co-hosted by N.O.R.E and DJ EFN, Banton shared that his tribe, the Maroons, traces its roots back to the Igbo people of Nigeria.
He expressed concern over the threat to their ancestral lands, criticizing the current Jamaican government for allowing Chinese and other foreign interests to encroach on their region, leading to displacement.
“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,” he said.