It looks like Dave Chappelle wants to follow in Stevie Wonder‘s footsteps with a move to Ghana. The comedian had a conversation with Naomi Campbell on her podcast where he said he was inspired by Wonder who said he plans to move to the African nation permanently.
“Now those in the room that knows Stevie personally he’s said this thing many times through the years that we’ve known him. But this last time he said it, what he said was ‘I am moving to Ghana so that I can be valued and respected more’, that’s almost exactly the phrase he used,” said Chappelle.
He took Wonder’s announcement and feelings by surprise considering the 25 time Grammy award-winning artist is one of the most valued people in the United States, according to Chappelle.
“You gotta think as a Black American who amongst us is more valued and respected than Stevie Wonder and the idea that he would feel this way at this stage in his life and career… I think that Stevie is the soul of American culture and if the soul leaves the body then this thing is dead. Then I thought I’ll follow him over there, or I’ll go myself. I’ll do it for him.”
One of the things Chappelle said he wants to do if he moves is open a comedy club. He told Campbell he’s currently working with Ghanaian British architect David Adjaye to move forward with his plans.
“We have been working together, hopefully, I’ll build something there, but I am definitely going to at least rent something for the foreseeable future, and I hope to open a comedy club there because there’s none,” he added.
Wonder vowed to the International Association of African American Music in 1994 that he would eventually settle in Ghana because “there’s more of a sense of community.”
