hiː wʌz bˈɔːɹn ˌɔn bˈoːɹd ɐ bˈoʊt ɪn ˌɪntɚnˈæʃənəl wˈɔːɾɚz dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə pˈiəɹɪəd ʌvðɪ æŋɡˈoʊlən sˈɪvəl wˈɔːɹ, ænd lˈeɪɾɚ stˈeɪɾᵻd ðæt hɪz bˈɜːθ sɚtˈɪfɪkət dɪdnˌɑːt hæv ɐ nˌæʃənˈælᵻɾi ˈɔn ɪt, ɹˈiːdɪŋ ˈoʊnli "bˈɔːɹn æt sˈiː"; hiː ɹᵻsˈiːvd fɹˈɛntʃ nˌæʃənˈælᵻɾi ɪn sɛptˈɛmbɚ tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈoːɹ.
He was born on board a boat in international waters during the period of the Angolan Civil War, and later stated that his birth certificate did not have a nationality on it, reading only "born at sea"; he received French nationality in September 2004.