Feature Stor y
Blair Underwood Reconnects With Cameroonian Roots By Ernest Sumelong
acting career, but also endeared him to most households, especially in Africa and Cameroon in particular. Underwood was known more for his role as lawyer Jonathan Rollins in the TV series LA LAW. But the discovery of his ancestral roots, traced to the Babungo tribe of Northwest Cameroon, after DNA testing in the United States, further cemented his bond with his Cameroonian fans. His DNA testing was among that of many black-Americans who also traced their ancestral lineage to Cameroon. The test revealed that on one side, he is of Igbo descent in the Eastern part of Nigeria while on the other side he is
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While Underwood’s film debut was the 1985 movie Krush Groove, his appearance on The Cosby Show in 1985 not only propelled him to a big film
It was during this trip that Blair Underwood reconnected with his long lost family based in the Northwest region of Cameroon. Thanks to the reconnection trip, Underwood today met with his 10th cousin, Eric Sonjowoh, with whom he has since maintained communication and planned to relocate to America
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©Luigi Novi
3 State Department photo by Michael
The multi-talented mega TV/film star could be said to have been born with it, acting. He has literally graced most influential TV serials in America and featured in numerous movies, which have placed him among the most prominent African American actors in recent times. Born in Washington to Marilyn Ann Scales, an interior decorator, and Frank Eugene Underwood, Sr., a United States Army Colonel, Underwood, 48, attended Petersburg High School in Petersburg, Virginia, and later attended the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
some slave exit sites. Underwood and other Cameroonian-Americans who made the trip to the country received royal reception from Cameroonian authorities and his tribesmen. Drums, songs and dance typical of the Tikar welcomed the guests, while scenes of the slave trade story were re-enacted.
Gross
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lair Erwin Underwood is handsome, eloquent and an outstanding TV personality and actor. This African-American is the metaphor of the contemporary black man living the American dream.
of Tikar descent in the North Western part of Cameroon. He made a historic trip to Cameroon in August 2011 alongside other Africa-Americans whose ancestries were traced to Cameroon. Here, they visited
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©2010 by Glenn Francis and Pacific Pro Digital
India Arie Photo: Harry Wad
d’environ 40 millions de Franc CFA ($76000) pour aider à la restauration de ce vestige de la traite négrière. C’est un geste extérieur qui appelle absolument à des gestes locaux. Nous devons écrire et endosser notre propre histoire. Il est temps d’investir dans ce sens et de cesser d’attendre la manne extérieure . G.N.P et T.Y.
Voici d’autres célébrités Americaines qui ont pu retracer leurs origines au Cameroun, et souvent avec beaucoup de precision. Par exemple, India Arie (2) a pu retracer sa lignée au peuple Tikar, tout comme Quincy Jones. 1 Common; 3 - Don Cheadle; 4- Anthony Anderson.
Cameroon Traveler Magazine • January – March 2013
• Page 61