Popular American preacher, Bishop T.D Jakes of the Potter’s House, has revealed how he discovered that his ancestors are from the Igbo tribe of Nigeria.
Jakes, who is a renowned author, in an interview with BBC Igbo said his Igbo ancestry was discovered after DNA test.
“It all started when Henry Lewis Gates, who was at Harvard, decided to this DNA testing to see where my ancestry came from. It was me, it was Oprah Winfrey. It was Quincy Jones and others,” he said.
“Mine was traced back to West Africa, to Nigeria and particularly Igbo. My ancestors were Igbos. It’s indescribable. It gives something that we the African-Americans don’t have, which is roots.
“It gave me an understanding of my roots. It was interesting to see how similar my personality is to how Igbo people are described. They’re described as hardworking, industrious and innovative.
“They have strong business acumen. I deeply relate to that. It explained to me; it’s odd that I was never born there, yet, see so many traces. I’ve always had strong business acumen.
“I’ve been aggressive in business. Although I’ve been known for the faith aspect, I have several companies and I’ve owned my own resources. My children all started studying ancestry about Igbos, and even more about Africa. I’ll like to reconnect with our brothers and sisters over there,” he said.
