FOREST WHITAKER - WHITAKER AND GLOVER FETED AS NIGERIAN CHIEFS

WHITAKER AND GLOVER FETED AS NIGERIAN CHIEFS

Hollywood stars FOREST WHITAKER and DANNY GLOVER have been made African chiefs by a Nigerian tribe after its leaders discovered the actors descended from their town.
The pair, which travelled to Nigeria this week (begs13Apr09) to attend the African Movie Academy Awards, were honorary guests at a special ceremony in the ancient town of Nkwere, after a DNA test traced their ancestral roots back to the Igbo tribe.
They were given a hero's welcome when their motorcade entered the ancient palace of Eshi of Nkwere, as traditional drummers and female dancers sang in celebration.
Whitaker, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in 2006's The Last King of Scotland, was handed the title of 'Nwannedinambar of Nkwere', meaning 'Brother in a Foreign Land', while Glover was named 'Enyioma', 'Good friend of Nkwere'.
Introducing Whitaker to the crowd, Chief Nze Chukwuka Anyiam-Osigwe said, "This is our lost brother. We have found him and brought him home. It is only an Nkwere man that can find his way home after many years. We are a people from (an) unparallel kingdom. We are (the) pride of Igboland.
"Today our brother Whitaker and his friend Mr. Glover will be made Nkwerre Chiefs and it is not an easy task to be an Nkwerre chief because there are only 30 Nkwerre chiefs in the whole world."