Tiffany Haddish Documents Emotional Visit to Her Grandfather's Village in Eritrea: 'I Love My People'

The comedian spent her holiday in Geza Keren, Eritrea, the birthplace of her father and grandfather.

Tiffany Haddish spent her holidays visiting her grandfather’s village, Geza Keren, in Eritrea and she brought her fans along for the ride. The comedian documented her travel overseas on her Instagram page, where she kept her followers updated through various travel struggles from delays, dropped flights, and hours-long disruptions

On Dec. 25, Haddish updated fans to let them know that she was finally on her way to Asmara, Eritrea, via a private jet after a journey that took over 24 hours. "On my way to my soul’s home," she captioned the video in which she joyously exclaimed that she was going to see her family. 

When she arrived, the Kids Say the Darndest Things host was warmly greeted by villagers, as seen in a post from Dec. 28. The actress is draped in the country's flag as she is honored with a plaque that reads, "Tiffany Tsehaye Haddish Residence Geza Keren, Eritrea." Two videos show Haddish surrounded by people as they dance and sing in their native tongue.

"I am so happy to be welcome by my Grandfather’s village so warmly. I Love my People," Haddish wrote.

Haddish then detailed her experience at a spa called Tsh, where she visited alongside the Head of Public and Community Affairs at the Embassy of Eritrea in Washington, Hadnet Keleta.

"They put butter in my hair, turmeric & honey on my face, Sesame oil all over my body oh and butter in my hot box," she captioned the post. "Then they put burning wood in a hole in the ground and you sit in the smoke and sweat. Baby I am ready to be tasted BRING IN THE MEN. You must try if you come to Asmara. Thank you @hadnetkeleta for taking me I feel Great. #vaginalsmoking."

During her visit over the holidays, she revealed that she met with the president of Eritrea to speak "about the future of the people." She alluded to plans to work with the youth of the country in some way but didn't give specific details. This is the second time Haddish has met with Eritrea’s Isaias Afwerki, despite receiving backlash for praising the man who has been accused of ruling brutally.

On Dec. 29, as one of the actress' final posts in Eritrea, Haddish dropped a photo of herself staring into the distance, writing, "I feel so full of hope when I Look at the Mother land." 

Geza Keren is the birthplace of Haddish's father and grandfather. Her father, Tsihaye Reda Haddish, left her family when she was a child and they reconnected when she was an adult. The Girls Trip actress spoke about their estranged relationship during an appearance on Hollywood Medium With Tyler Henry

“My whole point to meet my father was to know genetically, what do I have to expect and just, you know, where the hell your a** been?” she said during the appearance. “Where your a** was at when I was out here living in the streets?” she said.

The two eventually mended fences and Haddish has shared that the experience allowed her father to teach her about her heritage. Haddish visited Eritrea for the first time in 2018 to bury her father. In 2019, she returned to become a naturalized citizen, and has since made efforts to be involved in the affairs of the country. 

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